


The Fall of Marley

by akureyri



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action, Adventure, Aliases, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Annie gets out of coma, Bertolt aint dead either ayyyy, Drama, Everyone Has Issues, F/F, Gay Ymir (Shingeki no Kyojin), Marley/Walldian war, Military, Other, POV Third Person, Protective Ymir (Shingeki no Kyojin), Reiner loses Soldier and Warrior personalities, Romance, Royal Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Titan Ymir (Shingeki no Kyojin), Ymir is still alive wooooo, yumikuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2018-12-20 18:57:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11927160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akureyri/pseuds/akureyri
Summary: Ymir gets imprisoned in Marley for returning with Reiner and Bertolt after the failed attempted capture of Eren and Historia. Accepting to go with them to have the two live another day, they then question their allegiance to Marley. Is the government just? Or were they brainwashed just like the millions of Eldians living there? Not looking back, Reiner and Bertolt devise a plan to escape Marley with Ymir and reunite with the Survey Corps. However, the new Paradis Island’s queen, Historia, also sends out the Survey Corps to go undercover and save Ymir. Sick and tired of meaningless battles that lead to nothing but death, both Paradis and Marley go all out to finish what they started. This story marks the fall of Marley.





	1. Prologue I

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own AoT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Historia receives a letter from Ymir that include troubling things... She yearns for Ymir to return and acts on the wish. She bands together with Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and Hanji to infiltrate the Marley to reunite with her lover. Not easily, but it works out.

Hanji, who is currently in Wall Sheena district, is trying to deliver Ymir's letter to Historia. Historia recently became ruler of Paradis. The letter wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, buy the way the letter was delivered was troubling. It was Reiner who handed it over. However, the situation was still hostile due to you know... him trying to kidnap Eren and Historia. He was successful in taking Ymir, though. When he arrived, it shocked all of us. He wasn’t in titan form, but rather his normal form. He had gotten up the wall by using the 3DM that he had stolen before. Of course, we immediately started attacking him, trying to take him into our custody. He fought some members off, but he eventually got captured. When we interrogated him, he said he came back for only one thing. To deliver something. A letter. More specifically, a letter from Ymir. She was still alive. Somehow, by a miracle, he escaped from our grasps once more and returned to Marley. Hanji finishes their monologue with a sigh, and continues on forth.

After getting past the front gate of the towering government buildings, Hanji walks down the hallway of the East Wing connecting into the queen's office. It was a few floors up, but that wasn’t a big deal. They greet various guards and acquaintances on the way. Some strike up small talk, most of them friendly. As Hanji approaches the door, they took a deep breath, and a step forward. "Historia? I have a little present for you." Hanji says, knocking and peeking in through a small gap between the door.

"Oh, Hanji! Come in." Historia gestures a wave towards herself after looking up from paperwork, smiling. "Would you like tea?" After Historia had been crowned as the new Ruler of the Walls, she had been tasked with abundant responsibilities regarding the government. It’s stressful, but she can’t take a break.

Hanji waves to answer no. "It's fine, really. I need to leave soon. I just wanted to deliver this to you." They hand Historia a stack of dirty papers. The blonde stretches out her arm to get the papers.

"What is this? More forms?" Historia sighs as she sets the papers down on the table, spreading them out. Tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, she quickly scans through the first page and suddenly, widens her eyes. "F-from Ymir?!" she snatches the second page. Hanji sighs.

"Yeah. We just retrieved it from Reiner. He said it was imperative that you read it.”  Hanji cross their arms, waiting for Historia's reaction.

”I tried my best to deliver it to you as fast as possible”.

There is a large tension in the room but is then cut by Historia's sudden crying.

Historia clenched her fingers against the letter, reading the letter over and over and over again. She couldn't believe it.  _Ymir_ , gone? She couldn't believe Ymir. Leaving her. Alone. She couldn't bear without Ymir's obnoxious personality. Her selfishness... Her kindness. Her company.

”Do y-“

**knock knock.**

Historia quickly turns toward the sound of quick knocks on the door to her office. She quickly wipes her tears and smiles. "Come in." She is then greeted by the sight of her former comrades.

"Krist- ...Historia." Eren says as he walks in with Mikasa, Armin, and Levi. "Oh, Hanji? Already here?"

Hanji stands up, patting Levi on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I just gave Historia  _Ymir's_  letter. We both need to get going though, the next meeting's in 20."

Levi brushes Hanji's hand away, sneering at the messy scientist. "Don't touch me like that, four eyes. I just wanted to check in with munchkin over here."

Hanji heartily laughs. "You're like her height! Don’t talk to her highness like that either- you’ll get executed. See ya later now, Historia!" She waves and walks out the door. Levi stops the door with his foot before it closes.

"Tch! That damn idiot... no etiquette. Goodbye." He follows Hanji and slams the door. The sound of his footsteps fade away.

Historia waved him goodbye and turns to Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. She then gets up from her seat. "I’m sorry; that took a while. What do you guys need from me?" She straightens her posture, displaying full attention to the three soldiers.

"We just wanted to check in on you... Being queen is not easy." Eren chuckles, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah. I've been bombarded with tons of paperwork and requests. I am the only true royalty left, so I am the only one fit to take my father’s place..." Historia smiles, causing Eren and Armin to blush slightly. Mikasa notices and one of her eyes twitch. "So- is there anything else? I appreciate your concern. You guys truly are kind."

Eren flinches. "I.. uh... we- we found something..." Mikasa nudges him towards Historia. He shoves his hand in his bag, digging something out. Eren then pulls out a crumpled up paper. "I think you'd want it."

"Trash?" Historia tilts her head, extending her arm to grab the paper. She chuckles, "Too lazy to throw it away yourself?" She takes it.

"N-no! It was in Hanji's office... Earlier we overheard them and Levi say something about Ymir's letter and how they should keep this one page from you to prevent something.." Armin perks up, continuing off of Eren. "They argued about how you should get as much information of Ymir as possible. They agreed on letting it sit to weigh out their options..."

"It's crumpled because Eren had to hide it quickly. Hanji was going back to their office earlier than we expected. We think it's really important you read it, though."

Historia nods, then straightens out the crumpled folded paper as best as she could. "Thank you... You do not know how much this means to me. I need to know as much as I can about Ymir..." Her voice waivers. She takes a seat.

_Historia. I hope that gorilla Reiner didn’t drop any of my letters. Before I bid you farewell for the last time.. Let me explain._

_I was talking to Reiner and Bert today. He was saying something about an experiment. To expand on that- There is a theory_ _where you may transfer shifting powers to another person without being eaten... It may not work, but it stalls out the scenario where I get eaten by some guy._

_They are planning to use me so there’s no collateral on their own people. You know, in case there’s some crazy side effects, I guess. I will not die from it, though. Well, this is what Reiner is saying. I wouldn’t trust him too much._

_I do not know any more about the experiment. Reiner is doing his best to help me right now. He's turning into a good guy, even if he's a Warrior._

_K̶r̶i̶s̶t̶a̶ Historia, I miss_ _you so much. My short temper got the best of me. Long story short,_ _Reiner saved me from getting eaten right off the bat. So at this moment, I'm just waiting in a dirty ass cell for my demise._

_I hope you are doing well, and others are treating you like a Goddess. If not- I'll rise from my grave and beat their asses._

_No matter what, I will protect you._

_See you later._

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ _Ymir._

Historia puts a hand against her mouth, quivering. Tears come streaming down, over her hand.

" _Y-Ymir_..." She leans over the coffee table near the chair she was sitting in. Her teardrops wet the letter. "Ahh... You're such an idiot..."

The trio discuss something in quiet. Armin then suddenly steps towards Historia.

Armin puts his hand on her shoulder, attempting to console her. "We- we have a plan to get her back... but it's really risky."

Mikasa chimes in. "We know how much Ymir meant to you, and she's important to Paradis. She has all the knowledge of the old world- and she has titan powers. We're willing to risk it."

Eren walks over, thumbs pointing to his face, grinning ear to ear. "We need your help, though. You in?"

Historia looks up at the trio, with fire in her eyes.

" ** _Anything for Ymir_** **."**

**2 months later.**

"It's been really hectic lately between Wall Sheena and the Survey Corps. It's hard to get us to meet up in private and have time to plan what we'll do to get Ymir back. So, what do we have so far?" Historia says as she closes the door to her office. She then takes a seat next to the coffee table in the corner.

"I have an idea. We go, disguised as normal Eldians held captive by the Marley." Armin eagerly says, grinning.

Historia interrupts. "But wouldn't you all be recognised? How would you guys get to Ymir?"

"We will try as much as possible to change up our physical features so we don’t  get spotted while getting Ymir back here. He'll try to get incarcerated alongside Ymir. We go from there."

Armin stands up and puts his hand on Eren's head. "This starts with growing out Eren's hair. It's already pretty shaggy, so we should only wait a little more for it to be the perfect length."

"Haah?!" Eren slaps Armin's hand away. "No way! Long hair is so much of a hassle! I was going to cut it today! Plus, it feels musty! I'm not like you Armin. Not everyone deals with a bowl cut so easily."

Armin, clearly offended by Eren’s statement makes a “why would you do this to me” face.

"Eren! We're doing this for Historia!" Mikasa says, trying to convince him to follow through.

"Tch...How long will it be?" Eren scoffs, clearly displeased.

"You see Mikasa's hair? Around that length. We will also need to cover up your face. An eye patch will do nicely."

Eren starts to argue, but stops and reluctantly nods. “What about you two, then?”

”We’ll just cut our hair. Mikasa and I are already recognizable, so growing it longer wouldn’t make a big difference.”

”I guess. Then what about a way in?”

“I have an idea.” Historia's face turns grim. "Every once in a while the Marley... they raid a small village and capture Eldians for slave work. They get shipped using a specific route, starting west of Wall Maria."

"Hey- didn't I seal it?!" Eren says, shocked.

"Yes, but Eren- there are exits everywhere in Wall Maria, not just the one you frequent.”

 "Alright. So we alter Eren's entire appearance, then get him in with the shipment of the next village Marley will raid. This is the best plan to do- we don’t have any they options.” History says.

"But which one? It could be any! Will Eren be hurt during the raid?" Mikasa says, slamming her hands on the table. Historia flinches at the sudden action.

"In the scouting reports, the raids are usually non-violent... Villagers mostly surrender at the sight of the Marley warriors. Blood will not shed if no-one fights back." Historia gets up and goes over to her desk. She bends down and starts looking through the bottom right drawer, searching through files.

"Ah... It's right here. The most recent raid report. The latest raids were from Wall Rose... The raiding route indicates the next target will continue west... This leads to the village of Riese." Historia sets the reports down on the desk. The trio goes over to her side, looming over the journals.

"Shouldn't we stop this raid then?!" Eren picks up the paper where the information on the village of Riese is.

"Eren... we need the Marley to take the villagers to where they reside to get Ymir. We- we need to let it happen. No matter what happens when you are in the village, do not fight back. This is our only chance." Mikasa places her hand on Eren's shoulder.

"B-but-" Eren stops. He knows this is for a greater cause. Having Ymir will help Paradis with the battle against the Marley.

"Okay. When should I go?"

Historia bites her lip. "Now. We don't know when the Marley will strike, and you need to familiarise with the villagers to fit in."

"What about the Survey Corps? Won't they ask where I am? Wait- did you even tell them about our plan?!" Eren puts his hand over his chest to emphasize.

"No! They can't know! They won't let you go! Levi- Hanji- Everyone! They'll say it's too much of a danger; that you'll get hurt, and we'll lose your powers!" Historia suddenly perks up. "Then- Ymir won't return!" She tears up.

"Then how would we deal with them?" Armin steps in. "We can't say Eren is suddenly sick. What's a good excuse?"

"Nothing. We should just tell the truth."

"Mikasa! But- They'll say no; they won't help us. They already have a lot on their hands from Wall Rose!"

"It's our only choice. Excuses won't make sense, and even if Levi and the others believe it, it won't last for long." Mikasa hides her face in her scarf. "I'm sorry."

An awkward silence follows.

Hanji suddenly barges in. "Tension break!", their enthusiastic voice booming. Levi follows suit with crossed arms.

"Didn't mean to eavesdrop, but- we only wanted to drop by!"

"Y-you heard everything...?" Eren stutters- clearly shocked from the sudden company.

"Yeah, we did you imbecile. Maybe don't shout every 2 sentences?" Levi says as he stares them down.

"Calm down, Heichou! But yes, we did hear everything. The plan to get... Ymir back?"

Historia looks down at her feet. She takes a gulp and opens her mouth.

"Yes... But Ymir is very dear to me! I'd be willing to give it my all! Anything!"

Hanji laughs. "Levi and I were discussing your plan outside the door. We want part of this little mission."

"You three stole something from us. I don't think you can just go free from that. But in short, yes. We.. will help."

Historia's head shoots up. "What? Really?!" An angelic aura forms around her.

 _The Goddess is back...!_  Everyone thinks.

"You see... Levi has lost a lot in the past. He doesn't want anyone to feel the same way anymore. Surprisingly, haha- OUCH!" Hanji recoils in pain as they grab their foot.

Levi wipes down his boot. "Don't believe this idiot... much. For now, we agree with your plan. However, we need to take it up to the council and change it up a bit. You monkeys agreed on the plan too hastily."

"Ahhh Levi...! We can just do it independently! Much easier, right?"

"Idiot! We will get reprimanded by the government." Levi bumps Hanji, annoyed on how reckless they’re being. They don’t budge.

"Just like Historia said before- they won't agree! They hold Eren's power too tightly to let him just go to Marley territory alone!"

"Then we'll send the whole squad with him. Think about the bigger picture. I'll arrange a meeting this week."

"No! We don't know when the Marley will get to the next village! We need to get to Ymir as soon as possible."

Levi shoots Historia a glare, causing her to freeze up. "I'll do my best, then. For now, continue on with your work. Eren, Mikasa, Armin- come by my office later today." He suddenly turns around and goes out the door without warning. The three shudder at the thought if what might happen to them.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Hanji runs after Levi and shuts the door. Everyone sits back down.

Armin awkwardly asks, "What now?"

Historia sits down and sighs.

"Our only choice is to wait if we want to have a good chance of getting Ymir back."


	2. Prologue II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the group successfully convinced the high council to let the 104th Trainees squad, Hanji and Levi try to infiltrate Marley territory and get Ymir back, they all set out to Riese.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own AoT

**Three days after the meeting in Historia’s office. Morning.**

Historia walks at a brisk pace through a long corridor.

”Ugh, I’m late...!” She groans to herself. She takes a sharp right and opens the first door on the left.

“You’re late, Queen.” A man says. He had a curled mustache. It looked like a stereotyped one just like in cartoons.

”Yeah, sorry. I still had paperwork to finish, and time just flew. I noticed I was not going to make it on time too late. My apologies once again.”

”We will begin once you take a seat.”

”Alright.”

...

“We are gathered here today to discuss an issue regarding the Marley.” A man says. His name is Bjorn... he usually hosts and moderates meetings like these.

As he mentions the Marley, many officials whisper to each other.

”The Survey Corps along with the Queen propose that they gather up a qualified team to infiltrate the Marley and return with the Jaws Titan... Ymir.”

More whispering ensues. ...”Ymir? The one that sided with the traitors?”...

”Quiet down. They need the O.K to continue on...”

Another man pipes up. “No way. What would risking OUR soldiers give us? The Marley, too! Once they get ahold of the Founding Titan’s power- it’s over for us!”

Many nod their heads in agreement.

”We have Levi and Mikasa Ackerman going in with Eren! Along with other skilled soldiers like Hanji!” Armin counters. “It’s safe!”

Conflicted murmuring fills the room and Armin continues.

”Not only that- Ymir is still on our side! It’s not that we’re going to fight with the army- we’re just breaking Ymir out... Having less Titan Shifters is a con for Marley, giving us an advantage for the upcoming war.”

”What makes you so sure of Ymir’s life? She might as well be dead already.”

Historia clenches her teeth at the thought of that.

Hanji takes out Ymir’s letter to Historia regarding the new Theory developed by the scientists in Marley.

”Remember this?”

”...”

“Fine then. Do as you wish. I side with the Queen.”

”So do I.”

”Me too.”

”The majority agrees with the Queen’s case, then. Have at it- the meeting is finished.”

Historia smiles happily. “Thank you so much! Please, all of you meet up at my office later this afternoon! I have to return to my office now to finish some paperwork.”

She rushes off to where she came from.

”I guess that does it, huh?” Eren says, looking at everyone.”

”We’ll get going for now. See you soon.” Levi says, dragging Hanji with him.

**The afternoon following the aftermath of the high council meeting.**

They all rendezvoused in Historia’s office after the tense discussion about Ymir.

”I don’t know how to thank you...!” Historia hugged everyone. She was crying tears of happiness.

”It was nothing. Now we need to tell Sasha, Conny, and Jean about this. I’m sure they won’t mind, though.” Mikasa says, hand on the queen’s shoulder.

Levi taps on his wrist watch. “We need to be quick. We don’t have time to stand around and do nothing. I’ll trust that you three will inform the others about this new mission?”

Eren nods, grinning. “Count on us!”

With that, Levi and Hanji leave to do whatever.

The trio start to leave too, saying goodbye to Historia.

”We’ll get Ymir back. Promise.”

”I know. Goodbye.”

”Bye.”

...

”Alright, now who should we find first?” Mikasa says.

”Well, I say Sasha. Conny is always with her and you know- she’s always where food is.” Armin says.

”Then let’s go!” Eren hustles the other two, as if he was in a rush.

They find Sasha munching away while Conny is telling her stories. Armin’s guess was correct.They were pleased that they were finally assigned an important task. Lately they were given easy chores that no one really wanted to do. Jean however, took a while to contact. He was walking around the town, trying to pick up women. No luck, though. He wasn’t as happy to get a job. He wanted to have more free time to do what he wanted. Alas, they all go to one of the Survey Corps bases- the one near the entrance of Wall Rose.

The squad of young adults are busy prepping for the upcoming mission of pretending to be normal villagers in Riese. They all walk back and forth, putting things in their horse carriages to take with them along the journey. Some are focused, some fool around...

”I can’t believe you convinced them just like that, Armin. You’re some kind of genius, huh?” Eren says, carrying a box to his carriage.

Armin doing the same, replies with a chuckle. “Nah. I just used psychology, I gave them what they wanted.”

“Whatever.”

The supervisors (Hanji and Levi) sit and converse while having a drink. They had finished before everyone. Jean jogs to the table where the boxes of necessities are, but is stopped short. He trips over Conny’s foot, and goes flying, landing face first onto the floor. Sasha cackles loudly, pointing to Jean, who is ass up and face down. “Dude. Gahahahaha!” Conny snickers, covering his mouth with a hand. “Sorry, my leg slipped...” Sasha drops to the floor, dying of laughter. “Pftttt! How do you land with your ass up!!?”

Jean gets up and dusts himself off, clearly angry. “Ugh! I’m trying to work! Go away!” He looks at Mikasa and blushes, noticing that she saw everything. “Gah!” he grunts, and storms off to continue working.

”Get to work! We don’t have time to mess around!” Levi shouts, mad dogging Conny and Sasha. “Ack! Sorry, sir!” They both jump up and hurry to their duties. They don’t seem to pull off anymore pranks after Levi yelled at them.

”...Jeez...” Eren whispers to Armin, sweat dropping from his forehead. Mikasa works quietly, minding her own business. Hanji crosses their legs. “So, when do you think Annie is gonna come out of the crystal?”

Levi shrugs. “There’s no sign of it dissolving... It’s already been years. There’s a possibility that it’ll never let her go.” Hanji sighs, “I’ve been waiting to question her. Along with Ymir. Especially Ymir, if she’s been alive for so long...”

”Yeah. Ymir clearly knew a lot about the biology of titans at the top of her head when she told Eren. Not only will her powers help the upcoming war- her knowledge is priceless.”

”All done!” The former trainees sigh in relief as they drop to the floor together to rest. Levi sets his cup down. “Then let’s start moving.” They all groan and walk to their carriages. The Shiganshina Trio were together- Mikasa and Eren sitting in the front and Armin in the back; Conny and Sasha together; Levi and Hanji together; and Jean... alone.

Historia rushes in. “I tried my best to make time to visit you guys before you left! I barely made it on time!” Eren looks at her. “You need somethin’?” She shakes her head no. “No. I just wanted to wish you guys good luck.” They all smiled in response (except Levi smh..).

”Yeah. We’re gonna need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoooooooo who's ready for Ymir next??? I AM!! GET CRUUUUUUUNK


	3. Prologue III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We switch over from Paradis Island to where Ymir is, the Marley. She is currently kept captive and was told to go against Eldia in the current war. She argues and gets incarcerated for the time being to think about which side she shall take. Around that time, scientists developed a theory and she is forced to take part in it. Reiner and Bertolt conspire with Ymir to turn against the Marley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own AoT.

West of the center of the Marley residential area, a cold breeze whistles through, meeting Ymir's parted bangs. It had grown longer, but she didn’t have Historia’s hair clip anymore to tie it up. The wind blows most of it to the side, revealing her tired but fierce eyes. Ymir looks up at the sky with disinterest, frowning and slowing down slightly. Suddenly, her escort kicks her, propelling her forward a little.

"What the hell?!" she lashes out, scorning the taller man. Retaliating with a shoulder bump, she is then answered with sudden pressure on her chained arms. They get pulled, and Ymir grunts in pain.

"Obey, Eldian!" The man shouts. "Why are you slowing down? You're holding up the line! We need to transfer as many peasants today to the cells." Ymir reluctantly continues her original pace, following many captured innocent people, going through the alleys and main streets of the city.

She clenches her teeth,  _"Fucking Reiner. He said he would try and help me. What is this then?! Dumb gorilla. I save you and Bertolt and you repay me by holding me captive?"_

Walking through the busy street, many on lookers observe with disgust. Apparently, the sounds of sick and miserable captives were amusing. The Marley people spit on the line of to be slaves. Ymir scowls at the citizens she passes by. After maybe 30 minutes of walking, the line stops. 3 minutes pass and Reiner emerges from the sea of depression. He looks the line up and down, looking for something- or someone. He slowly walks down the line, until he meets Ymir. He stops and turns to the slouched, tall woman.

"Ymir." He points to her and says something to the nearby guard in another tongue. They argue but it is soon resolved by Reiner changing his tone to a stern one. The guard steps forward and unlocks Ymir's chains. The heavy metal drops to the floor making a loud thunking noise, and everyone now turns to look. Confused murmuring ensues.

"What is this, gorilla?' Ymir says, stepping out of the line. He says nothing and turns and beckons Ymir to follow, going the back the way he came from. "Hey, answer me! Where are we going?!" Grabbing Reiner's shoulder, making him stop. He sighs and turns to meet Ymir's face.

"I cannot discuss this here _._  I am taking you back to the military headquarters. This is an order from the General." Reiner then continues walking at a fast pace. Ymir growls and follows after the bulky blond.

"I've been meaning to ask, Ymir. How is Annie? Is she okay? Bertolt has been going on and on about her."

"From what I've gathered when I was still there, still comatose/crystallized."

Reiner laughs. "If she comes out now, she'll still be 16, and all of us in our 20s."

"...I guess."

After a long, long walk they both arrive at a tall building, with a large sign in another language. The guards stand at attention because of Ymir, but after they notice Reiner, they hold open the door for them to enter. Ymir opens her mouth about to ask questions, but from all the guards roaming around this building, she quickly deduces this was the main area for military concerns. Reiner walks over to a flight of stairs, leading to more. And more. And more.

"Damn it, Reiner how far up do we have to fucking go?!" Ymir shouted, holding on the nearby railing. "I can't walk up anymore- there are too many damn stairs!" Reiner stops and laughs. Putting his hand on Ymir's shoulder, he smiles and says "Almost there. Just 2 more flights. Want to take a break?"

"Um, of course? Are you an idiot?" Ymir says, taking a seat on the floor. Sighing, she wipes her forehead with a hand. "Do you deal with this every damn day? I'd die." Reiner chuckles, sitting down next to her.

"Yes. It's not as bad as the training, though." He stares blankly ahead, probably daydreaming.

"What took you so long, gorilla? I was literally on my way to death. Did you deliver my letters to Historia?"

"Yeah. Krista should be reading them soon. I... had some hiccups but it was done."

"That's...That's good. Thank you. What now, though?"

Reiner turns to Ymir, face stern. "The General asked for all of the Shifters to all meet up in the conference room up ahead. Including you. You see, Marley needs to know where they’re at with the titan shifters for the battle against Paradis." She scoffs, laughing.

"What makes you think I'd go against Paradis- more importantly,  _Historia_? No fucking way I'm gonna cooperate. Besi-" She is cut off by Reiner.

"Ymir. You have to. You'd die immediately if you don't. They'd have no problem easily passing on your powers to another Warrior."

"I'd rather die than harm Historia anyway. Actually- wouldn’t someone eat me anyway to take my power?"

"No- You working with the Marley means that you don't need to pass on your powers yet- giving them more time for the soldier going to inherit you to live and do their part. You do know the Curse of Ymir, right?"

"Damn- I get a Curse named after me?" She jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ahh. No. Ymir Fritz- the founder of Titans. It's really just that Titan Shifters only have 13 years to live."

"Oh. How long do I have?

"Well, it was 3 years after me, Annie, Marcel, and Bert received our powers that you... took Marcel's. So that would give you around 6-7 years left. The Marley would find this very generous."

"Marley this and Marley that. They're taking lives from innocent people in the walls! You did too! How are you siding with them so easily!?"

"I know."

"Why are you still with them, then?"

"I know. I know! But don't you think they are right in this, too? The Eldians destroyed our nation!"

"So now that you've got your land back, you decide to do the same?!"

“No! They take what’s ours- then they pay. They’re the villains here!”

”Reiner! Snap out of it! You’ve already killed thousands. Lived as a Soldier. You should know who’s wrong or right. The Marley are starting a war that isn’t needed!”

”Enough!” Reiner shouts. Both of them sit quietly for a minute.

"...Let's go, Ymir." He says softly, getting up. "We have some work to do." Ymir sighs, and gets up too.

"Sure. Whatever you want." For the next flights of stairs, Reiner stays quiet, pondering what he had done for the past years. What he had believed in. He bites his lip and stops at a door halfway down the hallway of one of the top floors of the building.

"Wait here. Don't move."

"I'll literally get shot the second I try to leave the building, Reiner." Ymir crosses her arms and leans against the wall next to the door.

"Exactly." He chuckles a bit before knocking on the door, then entering. From inside the room, Ymir hears Reiner talking to someone else, then a pause. Reiner emerges from the room a moment later, beckoning Ymir to join.

From inside the room, Ymir notices Bertolt first- who is looking down and very nervous. She then sees a very pretty young lady with long, disheveled black hair. Next to her is a familiar looking older man, with a beard and glasses. On the left side of the room, she sees a very refined man with long hair. He looks like royalty. In the middle, a man who looks like a Commander sits. They seemed to be discussing something prior to Reiner and Ymir’s arrival. The Commander then starts speaking.

"Reiner. What took you so long to retrieve the Jaws Titan? We already starting on planning the next infiltration of Wall Rose." Ymir flinched at the thought of Historia being hurt. Would her friends be in danger also?

"Sir, I apologise. The line was longer than I thought, so it took a while to find her. Instead of holding her in the main block they were just going to send her to a camp." The Commander clears his throat and sits up.

"Yes. That is partially my fault, then. The guards informed me after you left that they let Ymir in the line, thinking she would just be picked up later after she has done some work."

The older man from the left tilts his head and rests his jaw on his hand. "Would we go on, now? We don't have much time to dawdle. It's not like I have 20 more years."

"Zeke, hush. You're in no place to be talking to me like that. I need to update Reiner and Jaws, however."

"Call me Ymir", her eyes trailing over to the attractive woman next to Zeke, winking. The woman answers with a smile.

"You two, take a seat." They obey and Reiner takes a seat next to Bertolt, Ymir following.

"Look at this map," He points to the center of the table. "Here is Paradis. This is where we are." He guides his finger to two islands.

"We will travel to Paradis. However, Ymir, since you are still an "ally" to the Eldians you will go first. Like a trojan horse..." Ymir furrows her eyebrows, about to object.

"Then, when the military drops their defenses as danger was a misconception Zeke and Reiner will attack. Bertolt will be also in the backline waiting to finish off the structures of their wall. If all fails, Pieck will then come in to collect you all." He clears his throat once more, taking a sip of water.

"If you, however, do succeed, we will raid Wall Maria and try to advance to Wall Rose once more. We will start in 3 months. Our soldiers will prepare in that time.

Everyone but Ymir nods, collect their papers and stand up to leave. Except for Bertolt, who waits for Reiner.

"I won't do it," Ymir says. The Commander looks up in anger. Bertolt starts sweating even more. “U-uh..” He gets cut off.

"You  **will, Thief**. You stole the power from the Marley, and you will compensate if you want to live.”

"No, I won't!" Ymir walks over to the General. "You can't fucking make me!" she says, slamming her hands on his desk, spilling some of his water.

"Y-Ymir... please-" Bertolt tries to intervene, but is immediately cut short by the Commander.

"I will have you killed! How dare you talk to me this way!" He stands up, looming over Ymir. His eyes sharp. Ymir, however, stands tall.

"I'd rather die, then!" Still maintaining eye contact, Ymir grabs his collar. "Paradis is my home!"

The General slaps her arm away, then grabs her by the neck. Reiner intervenes.

"Wait! General! She's just like Galliard- short tempered and ill-willed. She suddenly just got told she needed to go against her homeland- I'm sure she's just in shock!" He puts his hand the General's shoulder, attempting to help Ymir.

"Tch! All Eldians should be gone. So useless!" He turns away towards the window. He clenches his fist.

"I've already decided on a plan- I'd rather not make another one. Since you've gone against me, I won't let you roam around like the other Shifters. Ymir- You'll be incarcerated until the end of the month. By that time, either you agree- or die by a Warrior. Get out, now!" The guards by the door quickly walk over to Ymir, cuffing her. "Follow us, Eldian," one says. Reiner rubs his temples and leaves quickly, Bertolt starts jogging over to catch up to him. Meeting Ymir's eyes for a brief moment, he gives a weak smile.

"I'm sorry, Ymir."

They guide her over to the back West Wing that connected to the main building. It was a dark, smelly, and grimy cell block. She gets dragged over to an already open cell and gets tossed in.

"Remember what the General says. Side with the Marley, or die." And with that, the guard leaves and locks the cell door. Ymir shouts in frustration and lays down on the dirty floor littered with patches of hay- presumably for her "bed". She moves one of her arms and covers the top of her face with her forearm, frowning. How would she get to Historia now? The next morning, she is awakened by the loud clanking sound of a baton hitting in between the bars of the door. Ymir, still groggy shouts.

"Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" She rolls over to her side, closing her eyes, attempting to go back to a relaxing slumber.

"Eldian! Vice Commander Braun and his comrade Berltolt are here to speak to you! Get up!" The guard unlocks the cell door, and multiple footsteps approach Ymir. She sits up, looking at Reiner and Bertolt. They both squat down to eye level of Ymir.

"Ymir. I can't believe you lashed out like that- I'm trying to help!" Reiner says.

"By having me side with the Marley and attack my friends!?"

"Ymir! Shh! There are guards outside. I'm not trying to argue anymore!" Reiner says, now sitting down. "Look- I've been thinking about what I did to Wall Maria and the Corps in the past. Everyone. I've doubted Marley's intent before, but this time... I don't know anymore. I've developed so many relationships with other War- Soldiers... Everyone was so nice, and they fought for a good cause. I want to make things right if I can." Ymir sighs, and lays back down.

"What now, then?" She ruffles her hair a bit, trying to relax. "How would we get out of here safely?"

"Well, Paradis is now in control of some Shifters. I don't think the Marley is going to win this, since there is still Levi and Mikasa- they're crazy strong! They also still have... Annie. Right now we can't do much." Bertolt says.

"Is that all? I meant our plan- not Marley's."

"He's leading up to it, Freckles. Anyway- They can easily take out Marley's fire power. We'll warn them before they start attacking. Plus, we're all switching sides. They can't go against Bert." Ymir nods and rolls over to her side. The guard knocks on the bars indicating that the two needed to go. Reiner gets up and turns away.

"Goodbye, Ymir. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Yeah- stay safe, Ymir."

" Alright. I'm going back to sleep. We'll discuss this later, I've got other things to think about. Later."

The next day Ymir is again woken up- but by Reiner. He is alone. "YMIR! Wake up! This is urgent!" Reiner shakes her. He is answered with a kick.

"Just fucking tap me next time!" Ymir sits up, grumpy.

"No, Ymir!" Reiner hushes, "Our plan... it's compromised...!" He kneels down.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The Commander just informed me this morning about you! Earlier, scientists reported back to him that they developed a new theory- and they're making you the guinea pig!"

"What!?" She is then shushed by Reiner.

"He says that since you're not cooperating at the time, he'll just use you! You're going to pass on the Jaw Titan's power!" Ymir stops in shock, eyes widening.

"What!? I'll die this soon?"

"No! I don't know much yet- I'll try and snoop for more information tomorrow! But look- you won't be eaten. But- the theory is that you pass on your titan powers to someone, but you don't die and the new Shifter won't get the Curse of Ymir until much later- when they get all of your powers! They'll slowly take some of yours to be able to shift." Ymir gulps, and opens her mouth to respond.

"W-wait. Reiner."

"Yes?"

"I need- I need to write Historia a new letter.  **Please deliver it.** "

"...Okay." He slips a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and orders the guard to retrieve him a pen. After a brief minute, he returns and slides Reiner a pen and a small cup of ink. Ymir starts writing and finishes after around 5 minutes. She folds the paper after the ink dries, and hands it to Reiner.

"Goodbye, Reiner. Thank you." The two then get startled by the sudden tap of a baton.

"Vice Commander Braun, The Commander summons you. It's urgent." the guard says. Reiner stands up and turns away.

"See you soon, Ymir." He disappears down the hallway. The guard slams the cell door shut and relocks it.

"If I fucking live." She snorts and lays against the cell's wall. Ymir closes her eyes, just for a moment.

After napping for a few hours, Ymir is awakened by the voice of her guard. "Eldian. Come here."

"Tch! Not now, I'm napping." The guard taps Ymir with his foot.

"Now. It's urgent."

Ymir sighs, and gets up. "Where?"

"Just follow." She grunts and does so. She travels to the opposite side of the Wing, ending up in a lab like room. It's 3 times as big as her cell. And cleaner. The guard hustles Ymir over to a scientist. An old man. "This is the Jaws Titan."

"I see." The scientist says as he studies Ymir, walking around her.

"What is this, old man?" Ymir backs away a little, bumping into her guard.

"Jaws, come sit down. Lift up your shirt. I need to look at your spine." He points to the nearby backless chair.

"I think the fuck not? Don't touch me, you creep. Maybe if you get a cute nurse, however..."

"Hmm. "I think not". Now sit."

"Ahh. No fun." Ymir takes a seat and lifts up her shirt and rests them on her shoulders. She then jolts up from a sudden syringe to her spine. Then, after a brief moment, the doctor pulls it away.

"Dude, what the hell?" She puts her shirt back on and growls at the old man. Standing up, she turns towards him.

"That is all. Take her back."

"What was that for? Huh?" In response of Ymir's shouts, the doctor calmly adjusts his glasses.

"You do not need to know. We will be having weekly visits, doing the same thing. Now, leave. I need to tend to the next patient."

With that, the guard leads Ymir back to her cell. She stretches her sore back as she enters the dark room.

"Damn, I feel... weaker?" Ymir drops to the floor immediately as she comes back, passing out cold in her cell. She dreamt about Historia. About her comrades. She missed all the times where they all weren't fighting Titans- when they all just socialised. They all joked around, just being normal people. Now, with so many twists and turns in the past... At Utgard Castle, where Ymir had transformed and fought for her friends. On top of the wall, where Bert and Reiner transformed and took Eren and Ymir to the forest. They acted like they were Soldiers, but they were really Warriors- along with Annie. Why? Everyone trusted the three, just to realise they caused thousands of deaths and the destruction of Wall Maria.

With Ymir captured by the Marley, Annie still comatose, and Reiner and Bertolt about to betray his government, what happens now?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt introduced, this results in the conclusion of the Prologue, we will again switch over to the trio and their progress to the village "Riese". The next chapter begins with the Shiganshina trio and Levi arriving at Riese. hehe, I originally planned with focusing on Ymir and Historia, but it's much more interesting to go back and forth between characters, right? Anyway, this will be a long, long story because of what I'm writing at the moment. I can't just go straight to Eren finding Ymir, transforming into a Titan and running out the Marley, man! (i swear that won't happen it'll be more interesting!) Damn, this is a long note! Anyway, to end off, the Prologues are short, but I promise that the real chapters will be much, much, longer.


	4. Chapter 1: YOU DID WHAT!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad arrive at Riese, and things go according to plan... until Sasha and Conny jeopardizes the whole thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own AoT.

As the group get closer and closer to Riese, the sun slowly rises...

During the journey so far, it was going smoothly- they discussed they plans thoroughly and just had a nice time enjoying nature. Conny had been growing a bit of a scruff. He didn’t have time to buzz his hair so he just let it grow out into a crew cut for the time being. Eren’s hair covered his face most of the time and he also grew facial hair. Mikasa had cut her hair even shorter and Jean sported slightly longer hair. Armin looked more masculine with a more chiseled face, facial hair, and tied back hair. The others hadn’t changed. Much.

”How come I have to be alone!?” Jean suddenly snaps. “Everyone is traveling in twos except Eren, Armin, and Mikasa... Why can’t one of them be with me?”

”Dude if you’re lonely just talk... we’re all traveling together.” Conny says.

”Would you want Eren to be your partner, then Jean?” Levi remarks.

Jean immediately chokes. “Urk...! No! I meant Armin or M-Mikasa! To even up the groups!”

”They’re doing fine as a trio... I don’t think Armin OR Mikasa would like to band together with you anyway...” Sasha says as she stuffs her face with food.

”Ugh. How about you be nicer to me? You’ve already eaten half of MY rations. I didn’t have to share them with you!” Jean says as he leans back on the coach.

”Yeah. You didn’t.” Armin mumbles. “We only have a little ways to go. Just deal with it for a little longer?”

”Eh.”

By the time they arrived at the front gate of Riese, the sun had risen. It was nice and sunny outside. The travelers were halted by the village watch-guards.

”Halt. Who are you and what is your business here?” One said, studying the large group of strangers. Everyone got off of their carriages and grouped together to speak.

After they all introduce themselves, Armin and Hanji explain their “situation”. “We’re all traveling together... It’s been a long journey. We escaped when our village got raided and we stopped by the first village we saw... We would like to live here. Please. We have nowhere else to go.”

The guards look at each other for a moment, then one that spoke to them first sighs. “I’ll have a talk with the Chief, then. Stay put.” He says, then leaves. The other watches cautiously.

The guard that left returned a few minutes later with an older looking man.

“I heard you fellas are looking for a place to stay?”

Everyone nodded.

”Daren here explained to me your situation, and well... You may. We’re missing a few residents to keep a stable economy so I’d be glad to welcome you all here.”

”Thank you so much!” Hanji says, bowing to the Chief.

”I’m happy to help. Let me give you all a tour. Before you settle in.”

Surprisingly, the village had a big enough vacant hut that could house the 8 of them. After they settled down, Levi called for a meeting.

”...So what now?” Armin says.

”We wait. Just lounge around until the Marley come blasting through.” Levi answers.

”Don’t cause any trouble. We can’t get kicked out or raise any suspicions.”

”Roger.”

**The next day**

The next day everyone was awoken by a bell. It was loud and went on for a full 5 minutes. They tossed and turned, hoping that it would stop and they could go back to sleep. Eventually they gave in and got up. When the squad exited the hut, they noticed that their neighbours were gathering to the dining area outside.

”Wait, they have dinner bells... for breakfast?” Jean says.

”Just be happy they cook it for you.” Eren says as he scratches his ass.

”Dude, ew. You’re gonna eat with those hands. That’s hella nasty.”

Eren snorts. “There’s something called washing them.”

Sasha interrupts, shouting, “Guys, lets just eat! I’m starving!”

”Yeah I agree. We didn’t have any dinner- we just went straight to sleep yesterday.” Mikasa says. “Eren, come with me, I’ll get the best foods for you.”

After they finish breakfast, the chief tells the newly arrived residents what to do.

”Just because you’re new here doesn’t give you a pass to relax, now! For now, just help out with labour work and assist with other tasks if someone asks. That’s all I ask from y’all. Thanks.”

Sasha was banned from preparing lunch and Levi refused to do anything else but clean. Hanji left with gatherers to explore and Mikasa did all the heavy duty. Armin aided in the knowledge department- helping the village with new farming techniques he read in books. Eren tried his best to outdo Mikasa and Jean tried his to outdo Eren. (Infront of Mikasa)

They all were worn out from hard work by the time it was dinner time and went to bed immediately after.

Everyone was sound asleep. Well, Hanji was snoring and Levi was close to throwing them out the hut to sleep outside. But they were all asleep- until Sasha and Conny come barging in the hut, shouting as quietly but loudly as they could.

”Guys! Guys!” They run around the beds, waking up everyone by shaking them.

”What!?” Eren whisper shouts. “What’s wrong!? Are the Marley here!?”

”No!! Look!!” Sasha says, and runs over to the entrance of the hut, motioning the others to follow her. Everyone follows them groggily.

”...”

”...”

”What the fuck!?!? Why is the chieF ON THE FLOOR IN OUR HUT!?” Levi whisper shouts.

”Listen!!” Conny shushes him.

”Explain this!”

”We were doing little night raid outside! Sasha got caught by the Chief and he started yelling at her! You said we couldn’t get kicked out so I panicked and knocked him out! We couldn’t leave his body on the floor so we dragged him here!”

”YOU DID WHAT!?” Everyone yells, grabbing both Sasha and Conny.

”You IDIOTS!!” Levi says.

”We weren’t ready!”

It was then they heard shouting outside of their hut.

”Outsiders!! Come out immediately!! We need to talk!” 

“Oh shit!!” Hanji says, panicking.

”Dude, don’t let them see the Chief!!” Conny says.

”No shit, idiot! If you guys thought thought for one second we wouldn’t be in thi-“

”Outsiders! Come out NOW!”

”Shit, shit, shit!”

”In a second!” Mikasa yells out to the guards.

”Ok, guys we need to-“

“We are coming in now!”

”OK, OK!” Jean says, and then they all exit.

They try to cover up the fact that the village Chief is knocked out on the floor in their hut.

”Y-yes...?” Hanji says.

”Our Chief is missing. Do you know anything about this?”

”Uh...”

_**BOOM!!!** _

The village gate flies open and troops come marching in. The guards that were questioning the group run over to the troops. They argue, then the guards suddenly drop their weapons and kneel down. The neighbouring villagers around the group’s hut come out and immediately surrender. Everyone does the same. As they kneel and put their hands over their head, Levi says something to Conny and Sasha.

”You guys are so fucking lucky...”

Conny gulps. “Uh.. yeah...”

Three men with large rifles then come over to the squad members and chain them together. Then they were forced onto a wagon full of the villagers. Levi obviously is very uncomfortable with the dirtiness, as he struggles to keep calm. His eye twitches and he is visiably shaking. Women and children cry throughout the journey to Marley. The main group however, stay silent.

After two grueling weeks of barely any food and water, the wagon stops. This was especially hell for Sasha. She looked tired. More than everyone else. The squad members look up expectantly and is greeted by the towering gates of the Wall of Marley. They all look at each other.

Then, all of the prisoners are forced off of the wagon and into a line.

”Haha... We did it...” Eren whispers to his comrades.

”Yay...” Sasha says weakly.

They follow the guards into a town. They pass through many different places, but the line doesn’t seem to stop. Eren sees that more shipments of slaves are coming in quickly, and almost loses his temper. He couldn’t do anything. After an hour of traveling on foot, the line stops suddenly, catching everyone’s off guard.

“What’s going on, Heichou?” Jean asks.

”I don’t know.”

It was then that a tall, tan woman stepped out of the line...

”T-that’s... Ymir...!” Armin says, catching everyone’s attention.

”Lucky!” Conny whispers.

”Wait... There’s Reiner!”

”They’re leaving...! We can’t lose them!”

”We’re chained! What can we do?”

”Ugh...”

The line starts moving again.

”On with it, Eldians!”

Another hour passes by of walking. Off in the distance is a facility... A labour camp...

”Aw hell no...” Eren says.

Time passes by and it’s finally their turn to get scanned and let into the camp. They all get put in a lodging house, thankfully together. It is the evening, and they’re all circled together around a fire to keep warm.

”We need to get to Ymir!”

”We don’t even know where she is. Plus we have to worry about ourselves! We’re in a slave camp, mind you!”

”Conny’s right for once... but I have an idea...”

”And that is?”

”Easy. We kidnap some guards, take their uniforms, and get out.”

”Uh, I think you’re missing a few steps.”

”I know, but that’s the general idea!”

”That’s the only chance and choice we have... But it’s  not exactly easy to pull off...”

”We’ll finish this conversation tomorrow. We’re all tired, so it’s best to put this off for now.”

”I agree. Let’s rest.”

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually left this on hiatus originally because of school for 6 MONTHS!!! But that’s fine because during that time Isayama updated AoT, forcing me to revise most of my planned plots so it could make more sense canonically due to the current situation of the original manga...


	5. Chapter 2: Vice Commander Braun, The Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Ymir rescue squad gets thrown into a slave camp, her days are slowly coming to an end. Days pass and Reiner devises a plan that goes awry last minute and they are all thrown in prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own AoT

~~~~Ymir slowly regains consciousness and awakens from her nap by leaking rainwater from the shabby cell ceiling. Drops landed on her face rapidly- it was annoying. Everything about the cell screamed, “you’ll probably die from these conditions before  you get released or executed.” The rays and cockroaches that often litter the floor... the walls that crumble every time a door opened... the putrid smell of death at every corner.

”Tch!” Ymir grunts as she chooses a new spot to lay down once more. “That doctor did something to my back. It’s sore as hell and the floor ain’t making it any better...!” Lately all of her thoughts had been about escaping with Reiner and Bert or about... Historia. She wanted to see her once more. Was it only her wish to want to reunite with each other?

”I can’t believe I let my dumbass go with them in the first place. Whatever. What’s done is done.” She mumbles to herself some more before the door to the cell block opened once more. She sits herself up, expecting something.

As guessed, Reiner and Bert emerge from the shadows. They rush over to her cell.

”Took you long enough,” Ymir starts. “Did you come up with something to get me back?”

“Yeah. I found out that there’s a gala celebration in the main hall coming up. Everyone’ll be there. People coming from different islands and parts of the world are coming in and it’ll be heavily guarded.”

”That means they’ll be less security on our escape route?” Ymir guesses.

”I’m still deciding on which path we’ll take, but yes. Some entrances will be guarded too, as people are coming in and out in masses. Another positive is that people are going to be busy watching the event- we can slip out easily.”

”Pretty smart, Gorilla. Still- how would you get me out? The prisons will still be heavily guarded. I can’t just waltz out with you guys. You’d get thrown in here with me. Trust me, it’s not comfy.”

”I’ll make up a lie saying that the Commander asked for all Shifters to meet up before the Gala. We hide from there and strike when time is right.”

”Pretty solid. By the way, can’t you give me a better cell? I’ll literally contract the Black Plague if I stay here any longer.”

Bertolt places his hand on Ymir’s shoulder, as if trying to comfort her. “I’m sorry, but the Commander specifically ordered you to get the worst cell to “rethink your decisions”... But don’t worry! The gala is just a few days away.”

”...Fine. See you soon, then.”

”Goodbye for now, Ymir.” Reiner says as he gently closes the cell door.

However, back at Paradis Island... something shocking unfolds.

Moblit wipes down Hanji’s office desk and rearranges files and papers. “Hanji is crazy for making them put Annie’s crystal in their office...” he sighs. “It sucks that I have to manage their office until they finish the mission.”

He continues cleaning before he abruptly stops.

“...”

”...”

Moblit stays silent. “...Wait a minute...”

**_Drip... Drip... Drip..._ **

He turns around quickly, with cold sweat running down his neck.

”...No way...!”

The block of Titan Crystalline encasing Annie shimmers under the light. Moblit walks closer to it. “It can’t be...!”

Drops of an unknown substance from the crystal falls to the floor and dissolves. Slowly, more and more liquid slides down onto the floor. He puts his right hand onto it, and lifts it up to his face to reveal  that it had gotten the substance slathered all over it. It quickly dissolves. The crystal visibly gets smaller and smaller.

Moblit stands in shock, and then quickly runs out of Hanji’s office.

...

Two days passed before another meeting was made. Ymir couldn’t do anything- and that made her angry.

”What now, Reiner?”

”The gala is tomorrow. I wanted to review over the plans just so you know. I successfully found a route safe enough and valid.” he says, pulling out a folded map from the inside pocket of his jacket. He unfolds it, and puts it in the middle of himself, Bertolt, and Ymir.

”This is where we are right now.” he says, pointing to a large structure that had many adjacent buildings to it. Next to it was the Official Marley Government Building.

”We’ll exit from this area, then take this route to here, up ahead.”

”Wait. Isn’t that a residential area? Civilians would catch us!”

”It’s fine. Everyone is leaving to visit and watch the gala. There’s no security there either. Continuing on, from there we will get to the Northeast exit where it’s barely guarded. This is where shipments of livestock comes in, so not a lot of attention is given here. After we reach the gate, you’re free...”

“You’re not coming?”

”I... I have loose ends to tie before I leave. Bertolt is coming with you, though. He’ll lead you back to Eldia. I’ll come back to Paradis when I can...” Reiner gets up, patting his trousers off.

”I won’t ask. Thanks, Reiner.”

”We’ll get going now. See you tomorrow evening.”

And with that both of them left for the day. Ymir had the rest of the night to herself. Alone.

When morning came, it was hectic. Ymir could hear people bustling through outside her barred window; to prepare for the big gala. People shouted instructions and groups of people just talked. Damn, she missed talking with Historia. She could hear the guards posted in the block talk about it.

”I can’t believe we have to stay here while others get to enjoy the party.” complained a guard.

”We’ll get paid extra for our troubles, though.”

”Honestly, it’s not worth it. I’d rather have a day off. It’s not fun watching low lives 24/7.”

”Me too, but money isn’t rolling in. I need it.”

”I wanted to see the War Hammer Titan, though. With the Tybur family being so influential, he’s making his third ever appearance in public. I missed the first two and I was looking forward to this one.”

Ymir perked up. “A fucking WARHAMMER titan!?” she mumbled to herself. “If they have one like that then we have no chance in the war!”

”But he’s never transformed! No one knows if he really has it or not. He’s probably bluffing to be in power!”

“At least we have him on our side...”

...

The evening came quickly.

Ymir stood up and walked over to the bars of her cell and looked out, waiting for Reiner and Bertolt. A heavy knock on the door is made.

”Finally”, she muttered.

But who came in instead were guards. Higher ups.

”!!”

”We’re looking for the Jaws Titan...”

”Over here.” One guard led them to Ymir’s cell.

“Another checkup is required. Come with us.”

”Not like I have a choice.” Ymir said as she followed the two.

She is then led to the facility she visited previously...

”Welcome back, Jaws... Take a seat,” the scientist says. He gestures to a wooden chair.

”Whatever.”

”Pull up your shirt. This is like last time.”

Ymir reluctantly obeys and did what she was asked to. She jolted her torso back as a syringe was jammed into her spine.

”Son of a bitch!!” she yelled out in pain.

After a few seconds, the syringe is lifted. The doctor inspects it, and sets it down.

”You may go back now.”

Ymir growled as she rubbed her back.

”Why are you doing this?” Ymir asked.

“Hm... it wouldn’t be hurt to tell you. Well, I am taking your spinal fluids and transferring them to your successor for the Jaws Titan.”

”What the hell?”

”As expected, a peasant like you wouldn’t understand. You see, to transfer powers you must consume or receive the Titan Shifter’s spinal fluid then the shifter themselves as a titan yourself to become a true shifter, demanding sacrifice. No one would mind your death, but the Curse of Ymir would pass on. Granted 13 years is long, not having the Curse would be better. I discovered that if I transfer little by little your abilities to your successor, the Curse of Ymir would not be active as he would not have the true powers of the Jaws Titan, but just the ability to shift. That is better than having a regular, brain dead titan, but it gets even better. As his body receives your spinal fluid more regularly he will inherit more and more power. This means he will be able to serve under the Marley for even longer, benefitting us. Now go on, I need to do my work...”

With that, the guards take Ymir away.

”It’s probably fucking bruised to hell now.” she says as she walks. “It hurts every time I take a damn step...”

She returned to her cell block shortly after, and is met with Reiner and Bertolt waiting outside her cell. They turn to the movement her coming back and walk over to her escorts.

”The Commander calls for the Shifters. This includes her,” Reiner points at Ymir.

”Today’s the gala, why would he have a meeting now?”

”Are you going against his word? I’ll come back to him about this if you want.”

”...No. Sorry, sir! Here. Take her, then.”

”Have a nice evening.” Reiner says as he takes Ymir’s chain leash. “Let’s go, Bert.”

After they go out of site, Reiner unlocks Ymir’s cuffs.

”Ugh. They were killing me.” She says, stretching out her body.

”We don’t have much time. Let’s get going.” Bert says.

”Roger that.”

Things go smoothly as planned- they didn’t get caught or raise any suspicion. They reach the gate in a hurry, stopping on the arch above it.

”Ymir. I need you to transform and take Bert with you. He can’t transform with us around, and he’s too massive to move quickly.”

”...Hand me a knife.”

Bertolt hands Ymir a hunting knife.

”See you again, you two.” 

“Same.”

“Bert, jump down as soon as I transform- I’ll start running.”

”Okay.”

Ymir backed up to gain momentum to take a running leap of faith. She took a deep breath and started sprinting. When she reached the other side, she jumped and cut her hand.

”Hah!” Ymir yelled, expecting to shift.

Nothing happened.

”SHIT! SOMEONE! GRAB ME QUICK!”

Bertolt barely reached in time, lunging to grab Ymir’s wrist. He tumbles down with her, and Reiner almost toppled over the ledge grabbing Bertolt’s legs.

”Why didn’t you transform!?”

”I don’t know!”

”Did you have a will!?”

”Yes!!”

”It must’ve been the scientists!”

”Huh!?”

”He took some of my spinal fluid! I think that nulled my powers!”

”I can’t hold on for much longer, Ymir! The blood is coming down to your wrist! It’s too slippery!”

”Well-“ Reiner gets cut off by the slamming of a door.

The door leading up to the arch swung open, and four guards emerge. They raise their guns to the three.

”Stop immediately! What are you two doing with the prisoner!?”

”...Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sadly isn’t going as slow as I wanted it to be. Oh well- i’ll try to add in as much content as possible without making it TOO boring


	6. Chapter 3: On My Count, We Go!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad come up with a plan to escape the camp, but it goes south last minute, with two people getting caught with something they should not be doing at all... How will they get out now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own AoT

The next morning they are all woken up by shouting. None of the group members had a good night’s sleep. Sleeping on the floor with only a thin blanket as “comfort” does that to you. Levi had slept on top of Hanji’s blanket, much to their dismay, afraid of laying on the grimy floor. Cockroaches ran about and cobwebs riddled the corners of the ceiling. Sasha had stolen Jean’s blanket during the night, which left him shivering for the rest of the night. Maybe sleeping in the same cabin wasn’t as convenient as they all thought.

“It’s time to get up, rats!” A man says, probably the cabin’s guard. He slammed the door open, walking with heavy footsteps that could cause earthquakes, really. He was wearing the same clothes as the military soldiers when they were being escorted to the camp.

Walking around, the kicked everyone who didn’t get up or answer immediately to him. “It’s time to work.” He got to Conny, who went back to sleep after being yelled at.

“Maybe five for minutes,” Conny says, rolling over. The man grunted in disbelief that he had been disrespected in reply. A moment later, he winds up his leg and gives a good punt aimed at Conny’s stomach.

“Ugh!” Conny groans, clutching his stomach. He gets up, glaring at the guard. The guard raises one brow in confusion.

“You have some stomach for the farmer...” he remarks, fidgeting his foot in discomfort. After that whole ordeal, they all were rounded up at the back of the room.

“...Can’t believe I have to explain to you dipshits…” the guard muttered as he led them to the back. “Since you all are new here… let me set some ground rules.”

“Number One. You are to always obey your superiors. Two, If you attempt to escape, you will be executed. Three...”

The list went on and on about doing what you’re told to, the schedule, and restrictions. The younger ones of the group rolled their eyes a number of times, obviously indicating that they were going to break some rules sooner or later. After the guard monotonously finishes explaining the rules, he starts talking about their upcoming job at the facility.

After “breakfast” (literally just bread and a cup of water), they were all herded together and led to a field. Scattered across the big area were large rocks, and dried mud patches over the stone ground. On the floor were multiple pickaxes and only two pairs of gardening gloves. It was very lucky for everyone to be together during the day. This gave them more time to plan the heist. Their supervisor for the day explained to them their job, which was to mine those rocks and if they don’t meet a quota of certain crystals, they were to continue working until they do. They all started spread out, and slowly worked to bunch up together to discuss their situation.

While they were working, two guards casually stroll by, presumably on their lunch break. They discussed leisurely, without a care in the world.

“This month’s shipment of slaves was pretty good! They brought in high tech soldier equipment! They should still be in the security storage room. These sharp swords and cool armour really are one of a kind. I can’t wait to use them!” one loudly says, conveniently for plot purposes.

“I wonder how they got ahold of those, though… And I feel like i’ve seen those type of things somewhere too.”

The two idiots disappear around a corner of a cabin.

Mikasa had overheard and whispers to Hanji. “You hear that? That’s our way to Ymir.”

“Yes… I see it too.”

Jean drops his pickaxe, groaning.

“We can’t escape! We have nothing! When they raided Riese they took all of our equipment and stored it God knows where.” he says, clearly winded from only an hour of labour.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Eren rebuts. “There’s always a way to something. We can do it. First, pick that back up! The supervisor is mad dogging you!”

“Okay! Fine! Now, enlighten me as to how, then. I really can’t take all of this anymore…”

“You there! With the crappy undercut! There’s no talking during working! That can wait until your break!”, their supervisor scolds.

“Tch. You’re the one with the crappy hair…” Jean mumbles, reluctantly going back to work. Armin snickers and Jean shoots a glare back.

A break came an hour later and was only 3 minutes long. They all huddled up to an area where it was hard to eavesdrop on them.

“Maybe we can steal uniforms? Then we can sneak around to find our supplies.” Sasha suggested.

“Well, we all should know soldier regulations. It should be easy then to fit in temporarily.” Levi says. “

“We only have one chance, though…” Mikasa says.

  
“But… we need to risk it. We can’t waste anymore time here. We go tomorrow night. Before then, we need to map out our route.”

“Let’s not draw anymore attention until we finish our objective at the moment. Split up into pairs and collect intel, just like before. You guys still have your notepads, right? Have they taken them too?”

Armin pulls out a small spiral notepad from his pocket. It was worn out, indicating that he had used it multiple times. “Nah.” Everyone then pulled out their own.

“Good. When you guys leave, take notes on your surroundings and report back to us at night.” Hanji says.

The afternoon came quick. The group- well Eren and Jean HAD to be stopped because they literally cleared out the field.

“Stop!! Stop! No more digging!” The supervisor shouted, waving his hands. “You guys made 14 15 foot holes! You aren’t going to find anything anymore!”

Eren and Jean had started a digging competition earlier and did not stop since. When they had their pickaxes taken away, they slumped down on the floor, exhausted.

Eren shows his fist to Jean, expecting a fist bump in return. “You actually caught up with me. Nice job.”

“Nah, it’s the opposite. I was way ahead of you.” Jean says, smiling. They bumped fists, strengthening their bond.

A loud dinner bell shortly followed, and they were herded up once again and lead to the canteen. It was less crowded, probably because a lot of people didn’t “earn” their food and had to keep working. Everyone grabbed a tray and got in line for grub. While waiting, Levi excessively wipes his down with the one napkin that was thrown at him by a guard.

“After this, all of you must be in your beds by curfew or else.” a guard announced, quickly leaving after.

Even if prisoners were kept working, the tables were still crowded. Nonetheless, the group grabbed an isolated spot to converse.

Sasha chowed down, even though the food was so bad. Conny felt bad that she didn’t eat a lot lately, and gave her some of his share. She thanked him exceedingly, repeating “Thank you!” about 40 times.

“If we get caught sneaking out, it’s over for all of us.” Armin says, food in his mouth.

“Then don’t get caught,” Sasha retorts. “It’s not that hard. Me and Conny do it all the time, ya know?”

“Not all of us have experience in nightly food raidings.” Mikasa says.

“Well, it’s a camp, not a prison, even if it feels like one. There shouldn’t be too many patrols going about at night. Everyone here is either a farmer or merchant except us, so they don’t expect anything else but compliance from us.” Levi says, reluctantly eating. They all saw how painful it was for him to even put the spoon even remotely close to his face.

“We’re all going today, just to be clear?” Eren asks.

“Yes. The moment they leave us alone in the cabin we start.” Hanji says. “Oh, right! We haven’t picked groups yet!”

Three of them immediately shushed Hanji. “Shh!”

“Oh, right! My bad,” Hanji says, instantly putting a hand over their mouth to muffle the sound, just in case. “You guys mind if I pick?”

“No.”

“In that case, then I have to mention first that it’s more efficient if we split up in groups of two. It would be too easy to be caught if the groups were any bigger. Now that we have that out of the way, let me start. Levi is going with me, of course and Mikasa will be paired up with Sasha- just to keep an eye on her… Then Armin will be with Conny so that leaves…” Hanji says, looking at Eren, then turning to Jean. “Is that okay?”

Eren and Jean glance at each other for a moment, unsure.

“I’m fine with it. We need to learn how to cooperate better together, anyway.” Eren answers, sighing. He then scratches his head, debating whether or not he made a grave mistake.

“I agree.” Jean joins in, resting his arm on Eren’s shoulder grinning widely.

“It’s decided, then! Let’s get to work, now.”

Pumped up and determined, they all set out in their assigned groups to go night time exploring.

8 p.m. Armin and Conny’’s case.

The two comrades and friends sneaked about, hiding behind cabins and bushes to avoid patrols. Prowling through the night, both occasionally take note of their surroundings to use the next night. Each group dispersed into 4 different directions to find their escape route and the storage room.

“When do we get to go to sleep? I’m kinda tired.” Conny yawns, covering his mouth.

“When we finish scouting…” Armin says, barely paying attention to the freeloader. “Plus, why aren’t you helping?”

“Kinda tired.” he replies.

Armin sighs, and goes back to updating a hand drawn map of the camp; drawing lines for paths and notes to remember where to go. They round a corner, Armin infront when all of the sudden Conny grabs his shirt by the back and pulls him back.

“Careful! There’s someone there!” Conny whispers, padding Armin’s fall after getting pulled down.

“Sorry! Thanks, Conny,” Armin says.

Both of them lean outwards to the right to eavesdrop on the commotion that Armin almost walked into. They see over a dozen guards surrounding… two people?

“What are you doing here!? Guys, grab them!”

Armin and Conny looked at each other, shocked. They knew.

8 p.m. Hanji and Levi’s case.

The two move swiftly, jumping in and out of brushes or taking cover behind nearby cabins. Levi watched Hanji’s back and their surroundings while they took notes.

“We’re close to our gear. I can feel it.” Hanji says, suddenly stopping.

“...I won’t ask how.” Levi says. The two then continued on, but Levi all of the sudden grabs Hanji’s shoulder.

“Wait.”

Hanji looks at Levi with a confused face, but doesn’t question him. They both jump into a nearby bush, and look ahead. They see a large group of guards. Between the gaps they catch glimpses of who they were surrounding.

“...Tch…” Levi tsked. He notices Armin and Conny hiding behind a building and informs Hanji. “This is the place.”

“I see. What do we do now, though?” Hanji sighs, sweat running down from their forehead. This wasn’t good.

8 p.m. Mikasa and Sasha’s case.

Mikasa and Sasha run about the camp, as if they were masters at it. They sprint from cabin to cabin, sliding in between covers to avoid getting seen. Both of them had light footsteps and experience in acrobatics. They get to a rather small building, even smaller than the cabin they were forced to sleep in.

“This must be it!” Sasha says, excited.

“DId you write in the route on your notebook?” Mikasa says.

“Not important.” Sasha replies, scratching her face and averting eye contact with Mikasa. Sweat ran down her face.

“Yes it is! Sasha!”

“Its fine! Really. I remember the route. Trust me.”

“If you say-”

Sasha shushes Mikasa, and stands still. Both of them stay dead silent. They hear footsteps- leaves crunching. Now 2 sets of footsteps. As they get louder, the two overhear a “I heard something! Let’s close in on them!”

About to get collapsed on by incoming patrols, both of them look for a hiding spot panicking. Nothing. Not even a bush to jump in. Time running out, Mikasa blurts, “Here! Follow my lead!” She crouches down, and cups her hand. “Up!”

Sasha reacted in no time and climbed on top of the building. Once she scaled it, she reaches her hand down to help her partner up. Mikasa quickly grabs it and follows it up. Just barely making it, they look down to see 3 guards emerge from both sides leading to the back the building.

“Where did they go!? There’s no way to get out here!” one shouts, looking around frantically. He orders the groups to spread out to look for the two girls, pointing fingers in every direction. “Go!”

The two relax as they realise that they were now safe. Sasha wipes her forehead. “Nice thinking, Mikasa. Glad I was paired up with you. We almost got caught. ”

Mikasa smiles, “Thanks to you not freezing up.” she replied.

Suddenly, they hear a man shouting from under them. “What are you guys doing here!? Grab them!”

Mikasa and Sasha rush to the other side of the roof and look down. From below, they spot a large group of guards, surrounding two people. From a distance, they see Conny and Armin poking their heads out from behind a cabin and Levi and Hanji in a bush. Looking back down, Sasha recognizes the two cornered by guards. She turns to look at Mikasa, who also realised the problem.

“This isn’t good…!” Sasha gulps.

8 p.m. Eren and Jean’s case.

The two rivals, Eren and Jean slinked throughout the camp, hiding in the shadows and environment. Both were very concentrated, sure of not getting caught. It was almost like a race, the two often splitting up to find the storage unit on their own the fastest. Eventually they met up for the last time, behind a strangely small building. One smaller than the ones they glanced at while running about.

“This is the one!” Eren proudly says. “And I caught it first.”

“Uh, no! I did!” Jean rebuts, pointing his finger at Eren. “I came here first. You probably followed me.”

“Nope! I found it first, and I’ll be the one the bring back the equipment first.” Eren says, before jogging to the entrance.

“Wait! You aren’t supposed to get it yet! This is just a recon- And he’s gone.” Jean sighs. He jogs after Eren.

By the time he gets there, the door was already wide open. “Oh my god.” Jean mutters. Walking in, he looks around. There were jackets and helmets hung in racks all over the walls, and chests littered in every corner. He sees Eren at the far end of the building, and goes over to her.

“Eren!! What are you doing!!” he whispers, grabbing Eren’s shoulder. “If we get caught in here we’re dead meat!”

He turns around. “Hah!? We just have to bring everything over to our cabin! It’s that that hard! Here, take these!” He says, promptly plopping a bunch of swords on Jeans arms. “I’ll carry the armour. Now let’s book it!”

Skeptical, Jean reluctantly agrees with Eren’s plan. “Ugh!! You’re lucky I can’t just leave you here…”

As they walk out, they are met with over a dozen guards running at them at full speed. “Stop!! What are you doing!?”

In a matter of seconds, they surround the building and the two thieves. “Drop it! Put your hands up, or we will kill you right now!”

Dropping their equipment, they slowly put their hands up. “I told you, you suicidal bastard!” Jean says under his breath.

“On your knees!”

They both get on their knees as told.

“On 3.” Eren suddenly whispers.

“No, no!” Jean says. “No! We can’t fight this.”

“Who says we’re fighting?”

“Eren, we can’t run either!”

“Just trust me. We’ll get out of this.”

“...”

“1…”

“...2…”

“...3!”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been working on this draft for about a month. I had worked on it at school when I had free time- not at home so that’s why it took so long. I was bombarded with work so sorry for the wait!


	7. Chapter 4: Remission of Herr Leonhardt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt get thrown into jail and got slapped with death row. They are scheduled to be executed the day after the gala. They escape, but more trouble awakens. However, back at home or Paradis, someone more troubling happens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own AoT.

“Stop!! What is this! What are you two doing with the prisoner!?” a guard shouts, aiming their gun at the three who were attempting to escape. The rest of the group follows suit, also putting up their weapons.

”Shit..” Ymir mutters. It was as if time stopped. She felt her whole body tense up, as if dangling from a 50 meter wall wasn’t stressful enough. It didn’t help that Bertolt was slowly losing grip of her wrist.

”What are you all doing!? Grab them!!”

Not even a moment passed by when four guards ran up to them to detain them. Throwing Ymir on the floor, they cuff her along with Bertolt and Reiner. The three then get lugged off to a secluded building, presumably made for traitors who were shifters. The towering castle like building was atleast 20 times more guarded. The captives all had their hands behind their back and were closely escorted by a large group of Marley soldiers.

”I don’t think we can weasel our way out this one...” Ymir remarks, looking at her fellow partners in crime.

”No time for jokes, Ymir! We’re about to die!” Bertolt replies, clearly anxious about their current situation.

Led into the building, they followed a man up many flights of stairs. He finally stops, and turns left into a corridor. On each side of the hallway were compact cells. Ymir gets kicked into one on the left side and Reiner was thrown in to the cell parallel to hers. Bertolt gets put in the one next to Reiner’s. Before the guards close and lock the cell doors, they force a suspicious looking pill down each of the shifters’ throats.

”The General will be here shortly...” the man who led them says. He turns around and goes back, disappearing in the shadows of the castle.

”Hmm...” Reiner sits on the bench which was suspended on chains. He covers his mouth with one hand. “I believe we are in a predicament.” He finally says.

Ymir scoffs. “We can all see that.”

Sighing, Reiner rests on his arms, putting them on his lap. “There’s no way of escaping, and the pill they gave us earlier makes me feel a bit... tired.”

”Pretty sure they suppress our shifting abilities for a while. Not that I have any at the moment.” Ymir snorts, before leaning her back against the wall.

”Actually, now that we have time to talk... What was that about earlier, Ymir?” Bertolt says.

”The day before yesterday, I got dragged over to some lab. It was like Reiner said. They took a syringe and jammed it into my back. They mostly likely took the “spinal fluids” you mentioned before. I’m pretty sure it was to transfer some of my titan powers to some dipshit.”

”Galliard...” Reiner mumbles as he turns to look at the floor. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

”Didn’t know it wouldn’t let me shift.”

”I see. What’s done is done, I guess” he sighs.

”Hey, someone’s coming!” Bertolt interrupts.

Reiner gets up, and grabs his cell’s bars.

The wooden door swings wide open, and in walks the General. Hands behind his back, he looks furious. Mad dogging the three, he bellows, “Explain this, you imbeciles! I trust you Eldians and you give me this!? I can’t believe I expected more from your kind!” Irked, he kicks Reiner’s cell bars.

”Aiding a thief!? I should’ve known! You always hesitated to follow my orders ever since that smug pig Galliard’s brother died! You’re a failure.”

Reiner gritted his teeth, trying hard to bite back his thoughts.

“I’ll have you all killed after the gala! No later! I’ll have some other Eldian trash take your places. You guys are all indisposable for me.” he scoffed. He turns, coat tails fluttering behind him as he walked away. The door slammed shut, and it was just the shifters, and a guard.

Reiner clenches his grip on the bars of his cell, furrowing his brows in frustration. He lets go, and punches a wall. Surprisingly, it’s flimsy and cracks. The guard doesn’t notice. Reiner lifts an eyebrow, then smiles. He extends his arm out the cell through the bars then bends it, as if he were choking someone. He’s delighted to know that his arm is able to do just that.

Ymir notices and immediately smirks, realizing Reiner’s idea. She slips her foot through the bars of her own cell as if she pushed someone over to Reiner with a kick. It fits! They both look at eachother and nod.

”Hey, guard!” Ymir shouts. “Come here! I have a problem!”

The guard looks up for a second, and goes back to reading his newspaper. “Not gonna fall for that one, kiddo.”

Ymir then starts insulting the guard. “You think you’re smart? I bet that newspaper is just for show, and that you’re illiterate! They gave you duty of watching us cause they had to think of an extra spot to fill so you wouldn’t feel bad!”

”Why you...!” the guard says angrily. He slams his newspaper down on the table and gets up. “I’ll show you! You won’t be able to read once I gouge out your eyes!” The guard then continues to storm over to Ymir. He stops at infront of his cell. Perfect spot, and all. Ymir proceeds to kick the guard square in the stomach, knocking him back into Reiner’s arm.

”W-wha-!” he stumbles. Reiner catches him with his arm and starts choking him.

”Ghk!!” the guard cries out, flailing his limbs and grabbing Reiners arm and face. After a few seconds, he goes dead weight. Reiner lets go, and his body drops like a sack of potatoes. The guard lands on his ass, causing the key to hit the ground and ricochet to the opposite side of the room. Luckily, Bertolt catches it mid air before it went to Narnia.

”Nice catch, Bert.” Reiner says.

Bertolt chuckles in reply, scratching the back of his head. “It was nothing.”

”Good thinking there, gorilla. You too, sweaty.” Ymir says.

”Lets bounce.” she continues, reaching out from behind her cell door to unlock it. She stops smiling after a few tries.

”Don’t tell me... This is only for the door out!?”

Bertolt groans and slumps back on his bench. “What do we do now...?”

”I got this.” Reiner says before promptly punching the wall he hit before. After a good beating, it gave and crumbled down. Reiner steps out.

”Oh wait.” he sheepishly says, before going back in his cell and freeing Ymir.

”I didn’t forget about you though, buddy.” Reiner laughs. He does the same to Bertolt’s cell. All of them then crowd around the exit door. Ymir peeks out a peephole, seeing if anyone was behind it.

”It’s clear!” she whispers. Unlocking the door, she peers out from the side just to be sure once more. Conveniently, there are no guards around. Or is it?

She was skeptical, being able to sneak around so freely. Earlier it was shown that it was heavily guarded. Things couldn’t be that easy, could it? Stopping at every corner, they carefully explored for an exit that wasn’t the front door. The “castle” was huge. Guards were only seen occasionally.. not as often as they thought.

”Guys, I’m not so sure. Maybe we’re walking into a trap.” Bertolt says, every now and them. He always got reassured with the same reply.

”We’ve already come so far. Just push through. We need this.”

They would explore every floor swiftly and descend down lower and lower until they came across a secret passage. One hallway was very dark- blindingly dark. They had to be guided by tracing their hands along the walls. Reiner had felt a brick protruding out from the rest of the wall he was touching, and pressed on it on instinct. The ground slightly shook in reaction.

“Huh? What’s happening?” Ymir says, feeling around for the cause of the shaking.

”Over here!” Reiner urged. He had found a passage that opened up in response to the button being pressed. The rest of the group followed him in, grabbing his arms to not get lost.

When they walked in, the room lit up, revealing it to contain dozens of bookshelves full of texts and research. In the middle was a table that had scrolls and pictures of Ymir and the Devil on it.

”What... is this?”

...

Moblit was sweating bullets. “N-no way...!” He stuttered. Right before his eyes, Annie was rapidly decrystalizing. Standing in shock for a split moment, he then runs out to get the higher ups.

He bursts in the castle’s building, running over to the receptionist. “Moblit Berner- Hanji Zoe’s assistant! I need to see the queen, now!! This is urgent!” He exclaims, out of breath.

”What is your business at this hour? The queen is-“ Moblit cuts them off, throwing a piece of paper at them. “This is my reason!” he says, before bolting off to Historia’s office.

”Urk!! Guards! Follow him!” he says, pointing to Moblit just before he disappeared in the shadows.

Racing against time, Moblit stumbled as he skidded turning corners. He ran up flights of stairs and once he got to Historia’s quarters, he banged on the door. “Queen! Let me in!!! This is urgent!” he shouted.

He hears quick footsteps from behind the door, and then the door opened. Historia Reiss emerges, worried.

”Moblit?” she says, curious. “What’s wrong?”

”Annie!” Moblit stutters, winded from sprinting a large distance. Hands on his knees and bending down, he looks up. “S-she’s...!”

”Hold it! Back away from the Queen!” Guards come up, also quite tired. “You! Come here! You have some explaining to do!” one says, grabbing one of Moblit’s arms.

”Wait. He stays. You are all dismissed.” Historia says, putting a hand up.

”Wait! But-“

”We have business together. Please leave.”

Reluctantly, the guards then turn and leave.

”...Continue. What about Annie?”

”No time!! We need to get to Hanji’s office! Annie is about to be free from her crystal!!”

Shocked, Historia widens her eyes. “N-now!? Everyone’s gone!”

”Let’s go! Before it’s too late!”

“Here, follow me!” Historia says, before dragging Moblit back to the receptionist.

Once they get there, she walks over to the front desk and slams her hands onto it. “I need two of the fastest horse! Now! Have me escorted by three guards!” she says. The receptionist front before was startled.

”Queen!? Why?” he stammers, almost falling out of his chair.

”I need the requested immediately or else!”

”Roger that!” he says, standing up. He salutes to the Queen before running off. A minute later, he comes back. “They are all at the gate! As you requested!”

”Thank you,” she says. “Come on, Moblit!”

”Yes!”

They both get on their horses, Historia trailing behind Moblit.

Once they all arrived at Hanji’s office, Moblit jumps off. “All of you, follow me!”

He leads them inside the office and downstairs to the basement. The moment they opened the door leading to the room, they saw Annie standing there.  Turning to the source of the noise, she stares at them blankly. Two of the three guards start to go over to detain Annie, but Historia stops them.

”...Annie...” Historia says. She walks over to her, Moblit following. “You... You’re finally out.”

”So it seems.” Annie says, in a low voice. She clears her throat. “How many years?”

”Three... You knew all along, that you were crystallized?”

”I was trapped in there. Not comatose. Well, not for long. I woke up a month after what happened.”

Annie grabs a chair to sit down. She crosses her arms and legs. Studying Historia, she chuckles. “I missed quite a lot. Have you found my partners in crime?”

Historia clenches her teeth. “Yes. But did you know about... the Other? They weren’t part of your... schemes.”

Annie sits up, now intrigued. “Oh? Another?”

”We’ll ask you questions in another room. Later. You’ll be in jail until tomorrow morning.”

”Tsk.” Annie clicked her tongue.

”Guards.” Historia waved them over. 

Cuffing Annie, they lead her to their horses and leave. Historia sits down on the chair Annie was on earlier and puts her hand over her face.

”What will we do...”

The next morning Historia makes her way over to the castle’s interrogation room. Outside the room were two guards at each side of the door. She was let in, and was greeted by the sight of Annie being chained to a chair. He hands were covered and behind her back. Her legs were also chained to the chair. Four guards at every corner of the room were standing watch. 

Historia took a seat, and leaned over to Annie. “About the Other shifter.” she starts. “Did you know about them?”

”No. Only us three and Eren.”

”It was Ymir.”

Annie, surprised, lifted an eyebrow. Perhaps something clicked in her mind.

”Do you know what Titan she had?”

”Hanji reported that it was the Jaws Titan.”

Annie laughs, almost manaically. It startled the guards watching. She then paused a moment before speaking to catch her breath. “Her? She was the one?”

Historia scoots back. “What do you mean?”

”You don’t know? The Jaws Titan... was our fourth man.” Annie says.

”Huh? Ymir was with you guys?”

”No, no. When we came over to Paradis, we had four people. Reiner had the Armoured Titan, Bertolt the Colossus, I had the Female Titan... and Marcel. The Jaw Titan.”

”Marcel? Where is he?”

”Marcel is dead.”

Historia stiffens up. “What happened?”

”When we stopped for a break and set up a mini camp, a titan emerged from the ground. As if it were decomposing. We didn’t expect it. Being kids, we all froze in place. Then, it grabbed the nearest person it could. Well, tried. That person was Reiner. But that idiot Marcel stepped in and got taken instead. He couldn’t shift in time and got eaten. We all ran away and never looked back.”

”Then... that titan... was Ymir...” Historia says.

”Yes.”

”Why? Why did you destroy Wall Maria? What was your reason for all of this?”

Annie takes a deep breath.

”Hm. I guess I have nothing to lose.” You must know of Marley. That is where we were from.”

”I was born and raised in a city called Liberio in Marley. I lived alone with my father. He had pushed me, made me practice brawling for as long as I remember. Everyday, till I couldn’t get up at all anymore. He then went on the enlist me into the cadet program for Eldians. That program was to sort through potential candidates to be the predecessor of a titan shifter. It was his plan the moment I was born. To have his daughter eventually become the Female Titan.”

”Wait a minute. This program- when you do you inherit the powers?”

”...When the current shifter is about to die or other circumstances. I received mine when I was 12.”

”Then this program doesn’t take place often?”

”No. When you are accepted and pass the conditioning, it’s just like here. Military training given to kids. I never found out my father’s intentions. Is it really that special to be a shifter? I always asked myself that. Reiner had worked hard to become a viable candidate, for his father. Everyday, he told us that. After everything was done and I already had inherited the Female Titan, I returned home for the last time. My father had changed. He was a cold man, but when I came back, he was in tears. Said that even if the world was against me, I had him. I promised to return, no matter what.”

”When us four were assigned the mission to infiltrate Paradis Island, only Reiner was excited. The objective was to find and take the Founding Titan and come back. Things went wrong with Marcel, and we had more trouble. When we all graduated the 104th, Reiner and Bertolt wanted to be part of the Survey Corps, but I had different plans. Instead, I enlisted into the Military Police. We had found the Attack Titan, but we weren’t sure about the Founding Titan.”

”It’s... Eren.” Historia says.

”...”

”How did you find out?” Annie asks.

”Reiner and Bertolt had attempted to kidnap Ymir and Eren. When we fought to rescue them, a turn of events happened. We had found out that he could control titans.”

 “Tsk. I assume you have Reiner and Bertolt in captivity?”

”No. They’re back in Marley, with Ymir.”

“What are you going to do now?”

”Before you came out of your crystal, I assigned the rest of the past 104th Trainees to rescue Ymir.”

”Why her?”

”It’s because... she’s Ymir!” Historia says, blushing a little bit.

”I see.”

“Help me- help Ymir.”

”What do I gain from it?”

“A chance to return to your father.”

...

”What is this place?” Reiner says, looking around. Bertolt walks around and studies the bookshelves, pulling out a book to examine it every now and then.

After fully inspecting every nook and cranny that room had to offer, they all gather in a small circle.

”Is this a dead end?” Reiner says, crossing his arms.

”Well, it can’t be! We can’t go outside- they’re all probably looking for us by now. There has to be another door out here somewhere.”

Ymir leans on the desk to think, and it moves. Under it revealed a loose tile. Under it was a button.

”Bingo.” she says.

Pressing it, a shelf moves. Behind it was a wooden door.

”What have do we have here...” Ymir smirks, walking over to the door. She opens it. The door had led to a balcony outside the castle and stairs down protruding from the building. There was a platform for every door, and it would be hard to spot them going down. They catch a glimpse of a lot of bright lights of every colour, and a large stage. That must be the gala! Next to it was a large hall, presumably where the show starts. The speech must be outside. It’s very crowded, as the large area was filled to the brim with people. There was a man on the stage. They couldn’t see him well.

The group follows the stairs all the way down to around the 6th floor of the castle, until the ground shook violently. People screamed and shouted. On instinct, the three then their head to the gala, and out they see... two Titans fighting!?

”We need to go, now!!” Reiner shouts, and then they all hustled to ground floor.

”That was Eren’s titan, wasn’t it!?” Bertolt says, catching his breath.

”Yeah- I’d recognise it anywhere!” Ymir says.

”What was that Titan he was fighting? And why?” she asks.

”That was the War Hammer Titan. It should be Willy’s! That man with the long blond hair we saw a week ago!” Reiner answers. “We need to take advantage of this situation and go!”

”No! We need to help him!” Bertolt says.

”How!? We can’t even shift!”

”Argh!” Reiner grunts, slamming his hand against a wall. “We’re at a stalemate. We can’t help them at the moment!”

It was then that a group of guards ran past them. They luckily had caught the most important words.

”Reports have come in that the Eldians from Paradis are ambushing us!”

Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt looked at eachother.

”They’re here.”

 


	8. Chapter 5: The Secret of the Tybur Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Infiltrating the gala, Eren uncovers a secret plan that the Marley government have orchestrated long before the Survey Corps had arrived in Marley. Trying to stop the upcoming world war, the impending battle Eren starts becomes a bloodbath, and a true turn of events occur. Costing the lives of hundreds of civilians, who really is Willy Tybur?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own AoT.

“One…”

“...Two…”

“Three!” shouts Eren. Instantaneously, he and Jean shot up from the floor, ready to book it.

They stop dead in their tracks as their comrades then come out of nowhere, barreling through the soldiers surrounding them. Armin, Conny, Hanji, and even Levi bum rushed as many soldiers as they could, leaving only a handful left. Mikasa and Sasha then drop down from above, landing on two guards. Eren and Jean then started brawling with the rest.

“You guys!” Jean says. “Thanks for saving us!”

“No time to talk! Just fight!” Levi shouts back. He then continues on to deck a nearby guard.

Eren threw a punch, landing it square in the jaw of a guard. It wasn’t enough to knock him out, though. The guard retaliated by attempting to uppercut Eren. Dodging, Eren then finished the guard off with a spinning elbow to the temple. He drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Jean’s fight, on the other hand, was one-sided. The other guard threw hands clumsily, stumbling on every move. Tripping the guard with a low sweep, Jean then knees the guard in the face as he went down. Another man, presumably the captain of the group suddenly grabs Jean, locking him into a full-nelson. Unable to get free from the man’s grasps, Jean thrashes about.

“Get off me, you man-titan!” Jean shouts. He persistently kicks and struggles against the man holding him up eventually to no avail. It was too late when a second man runs up to Jean with a knife.

“Watch out!” Conny bellows, running to Jean’s rescue. He grabbed the man by the arm and flipped him over his shoulder, causing him to drop the knife onto the floor.

“Argh!” Conny grunts. The man was quite heavy for his size. The sudden impact of dropping onto the floor caused the guard to get knocked out. Jean, finally tired of kicking and fidgeting goes dead weight. The patrolman holding him then lets go because of the sudden extra weight. Jean spins around and plants his hand on the floor to lift himself higher, then does a  high spinning kick on the big man’s neck. It knocks him out cold.

Once all of the guards were cleared, the group once more gathered together. Winded from the extended period of combat, some of them rested their hands on their knees, bending over.

“That quite a warmup, huh?” Eren asks. He stretches, his back cracking in the process.

“No. Want to explain why you guys were caught? It could’ve gone worse!” Hanji scolded. “Why didn’t you stick to the plan?”

“In my defense, Eren had gone in first. I tried to stop him, you know!” Jean says, putting his hands up.

“Yeah, sorry. I got too excited when I found our equipment.” Eren says. He then turns around and bends down to pick up the equipment they had been forced to drop earlier. “Look, we have it now. But we need to leave.” He hands them to Hanji.

“I agree,” Armin says. “We can’t stay with all these guards laying on the floor around us. We need to move forward.”

A few guards groaned in response.

“We can’t go now. The gala hasn’t started yet!” Levi says, crossing his arms.

“Can’t we all just go into hiding until tomorrow?” Mikasa suggests.

“Hold on- suit up first then we talk! Time is running out!” Hanji interrupts, tossing sets of Survey Corps armour at them. The new designs were more plain and slim- the suits were all black and full body, stretching from neck to ankle. Not only that, they had shoulder plates, elbow pads, knee pads, etc.. The 3DM devices were replaced with “Anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment”.

“Wait- when did you guys upgrade all of this?” Sasha says. “This is awesome!” She holds up an AVM, studying the built-in pistols.

Hanji smiles. “Before we left for Riese, I had a little surprise planned for you guys. Well, thank Moblit when we return. He designed these. Here… you put them on like this.” They sling one side of the AVM to one shoulder, and clips it on. Then the same for the other side. “They work just like the 3DMs…”

Armin shushes everyone, prompting them to become dead silent. Putting his hand up to signal “stop!”, he looks around and listens.

“We need to leave, now!” Armin says. “I can hear more people coming!”

They all nod to each other and used their AVMs to zip away from the camp. Clinging onto nearby buildings to move as efficiently as they can, they widen the gap between them and the camp. The night was still young.

 

…

 

...“A chance to return to your father.” Historia says.

Annie scoffs. “You’re going to kill me?”

“No, no! If you help me, we’ll go to Marley together! Then you can meet your father again! “

“You, the queen, go to Marley? You’re insane!” Annie laughs. “Besides, to them, I’m dead. Reiner and Bertolt probably told them I was captured like a rat. The second I step back into Marley, they’ll dispose of me.”

“What about your promise? I swear to you, that if you become an ally to me, I’ll make sure you won’t die!” Historia stands up, leaning over to Annie with both hands planted onto the table.

“How are you so sure? Pardon me, but I don’t really think you can protect me once we’re all alone in Marley.”

“...I already sent a group to Marley.”

“You what?”

“I sent the Survey Corps to Marley.”

“You have that much faith in them? You believe they can go up against the Tybur?”

“Tybur? Who are you talking about?”

“...”

“Tell me! Please, I need to know!”

“Then, how many titan shifters have you encountered?”

“I’ve only seen 6… 7 counting Eren’s other power…”

“You have yet to see two more.” Annie raises a brow.

“Huh!? I wasn’t briefed about this!” a bead of sweat fell down Historia’s forehead. Her counsel had told her that there weren’t anymore.

“Eren, Reiner, Bertolt, Ymir, Zeke, Pieck, Willy, and lastly, me.”

“I know Zeke is that Beast titan, but who are the other two?”

“Pieck is the cart titan. She’s used mostly to transport resources and materials in Marley, but she’s capable of combat and rescue. Her ability allows her to be a titan for months at a time without exhausting her too much. The downside is that sometimes she forgets how to walk or even stand. Willy is a Tybur; one of the few Eldian royalties that have ties to the Marleyan government. He was the heir of the War Hammer titan. It gets passed down in the family from generation to generation.  I’ve never seen it in action firsthand, but everyone says it’s one of the strongest titans. The Tyburs, though… they keep to themselves. They don’t involve themselves in public affairs often. Still, they pull the strings around Marley.”

“Are the Tyburs really that powerful? That the government lets them reign like that?”

“The Tyburs have fought in the war for Marley’s restoral. They are one of the few standing noble Eldian houses left in Marley because of it. Say, what day is it?”

“Why?”

“When we left, the Tyburs were assigned to declare a war in 4 years. That he would become a martyr for the greater good of Marley.”

“A martyr? What do you mean? A martyr must die.”

“I have no idea, either. I haven't been briefed fully about the extent of the plan. I have a feeling it won't end well, though..”

“If I can recall, today is the 15th of February.”

Annie raises a brow. “It’s tonight.”

“It’s today!? We still have our squad in Marley!”

Historia’s sudden bursting out caught the guard’s attention once more.

“So it seems. It will be revealed at a large event.”

“Ah! Annie, how long will it take to get to Marley?”

“Last time I went, I think it took around 7 hours.”

Historia reaches into the pocket of her shawl, revealing an antique pocket watch.

“7:42 a.m… We need to leave as soon as we can!”

“It’s too dangerous! We can’t go during the day!” Annie worriedly says.

“Guards, unchain her.”

“Are you ignoring me?”

“It’s okay. I have a plan.”

“Unchain her? Are you insane?” One guard says. “I’m sorry, your highness- I didn’t mean it like that, but she destroyed half of a district!”

“It’s imperative that you comply.”

“Even if you are the queen, I can’t endanger everyone.”

“Annie is our ally. We need to leave soon.”

“...If this comes back to me…”

“It won’t.”

The guard walks behind Annie and goes to work on her bindings. Undoing her cuffs, chain, and ropes, he finally steps back, taking a gulp of his spit.

“Here,” he says, voice shaking a bit. It was easy to be intimidated by Annie, even with her small stature.

Annie gets up, making the guard flinch. The other backs up against the wall, hand resting on his sword.

“It’s not very comfortable being stuck in a crystal for 3 years and immediately forced to sit on a chair,” she says, stretching.

“Safety precautions, you know?” Historia says. “We need to go, now. Quickly.”

“We’re not even going to discuss our plans?”

“Follow me.”

Historia leads Annie to another part of the building. Going upstairs, she finally stops after 3 flights. Turning left, Historia stops in front of a door. The sign read, “Hanji Zoe”.

“It’s here somewhere…” Historia says, fumbling through her pockets. She takes out a key and goes to unlock the door.

“You sure do abuse your powers.”

“Well, would you rather be here or back in your cell?”

“Hmm. Good point.”

When the door is opened, they both walk in. Historia, however, goes to the far end of the office, where the trap door was. It was covered by a chest, which was hollow at the bottom. She moves the chest and opens the door. The two walk down to the secret building.

Historia moves over to a rather large chest and unlocks it. “I’m pretty sure they’re in here.”

“Dare I ask?”

“It’s just the new equipment. Survey Corps exclusive.”

“I see.”

The chest opens, displaying neatly stacked black armour on opposite sides of the chest. In the middle were what seemed to be their 3DMs. Groping inside the chest some more, her hands hit something unfamiliar. It was cold.

“Metal?” Historia mumbles. Poking around and clearing the chest, she finally finds what she had touched. It was a peculiar contraption. Similar to the ODM, it had propellers. However, the grips were instead guns. On top of the topmost set, there was a note. It read:

 

“The new Anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment… Prototypes! Not for use against titans !”

                                                                                        -Hanji :)

 

“...?” Annie looks at Historia. “What’s that?”

“Dunno. Trying it out now.” Historia says.

Trying to hoist it up on her hips, they fall.

“...If not here, then…” she wraps it around her shoulders and lines up the longer parts on her arms. It was a perfect fit. Clamping the security on, she tests it out. She fires out a grappling hook. “I see…”

“What?”

“You’ve heard of guns before, right?”

“Yeah. There were tons back in Marley.”

“These are like the 3DMs we had… But I’m guessing this is for human to human combat…”

There was a rack next to the chest. There was also a note lying on top. Fitted inside the holders were rods with spearheads at the tip.

 

“Thunder spears! Attach to anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment! Be careful! They are sharp and comes with a big boom!" the note displayed.

                                                     

“Wow… I haven’t heard of these new supplies yet…” Historia says. “I’m truly in awe.”

“Really now. Thunder spears... A lot happened when I was gone... Did you guys get rid of the old equipment?”

Historia turns around. “I think so. Hanji had told me that they upgraded most of the gear. Ah. Here. I finally found uniforms in our sizes.” She hands Annie neatly folded clothes. “Put these on, please.”

Annie sets most of it on the floor, keeping only the black bodysuit. Outstretching her arms forward, she hangs it from her hands. “I prefer the old ones.”

“To each their own, I guess,” Historia replies. “I don’t mind, as long as they work.”

After they finish changing, Moblit comes down the stairs. It was his daily routine of checking in on Hanji’s office. He’s shocked to see the two girls ready for combat.

“Historia? Annie? What’s going on?”

“Moblit…” Historia says quietly, almost like a whisper.

"Why do you have all of this on? What are you both planning?"

Annie tilts her head slightly. “Your dear queen here wants to waltz about in Marley and join the others, and I’m about to be her partner in crime.”

“Marley? You? You’re insane! Even Hanji woul- ...Even Levi wouldn’t- Uh, you’re the queen! The moment you get caught, it’s over for you.”

“I was in the Survey Corps. I’m confident in my agility. It’s fine. I have Annie with me, too.”

 "Argh... You're more insane than Hanji..." he grumbles. "I can't really stop you... So I'm coming with. I've worked with Hanji, so I know when trying to talk someone out of something won't happen. I also can't stand it any longer, not knowing if the others are safe or not. I'll bring some of my co-workers with us if you really want..."

"Really? Thanks, Moblit!"

"Wow... you guys really are going to let her do this?"

 

…

 

Once the group finally reached a place that was secluded from the main town of Marley, they settle down. It was the corroded attic of an abandoned building. The building was tall, however, so they were quite a ways from the ground.

“Damn, I missed running around in things like these.” Conny says, tapping his hand on the AVM.

“Yeah. It’s quite refreshing to be in the air again.” Mikasa says.

They all set their equipment down in a dark corner in a pile. Eren drags a dented metal barrel over to the middle of the rundown “attic” and lights the inside on fire.

“Here,” he says. “This should keep us warm for the night…”

“Thanks, Eren,” Hanji says.

They all huddle up on a corner furthest from the missing wall of the attic, covering themselves with only their Survey Corps capes. It wasn’t cosy, but good enough. Even Eldia’s nights weren’t as cold. Everyone was a bit uneasy. The gala was tomorrow night. Still, even if the gala was an opportunity to strike, they had no idea where Ymir was.

“Where would Reiner take Ymir?” Armin says. “We barely missed her, too..”

“If only we got there a minute sooner…!” Conny mutters.

“What’s done is done. We have to focus on the future; we can still save Ymir.” Mikasa replies, yawning. “Reiner probably took Ymir to the government building or prison.”

“Right. Ymir still has the Jaws titan… Shit!” Eren’s eyes widen as if something clicked in his mind. He furrows his brows, combing his hair back with his fingers. “She could be dead right now! We took too long!”

“Calm down, Eren!” Levi says. “You’re too rash. We don’t know for sure yet.”

“We need to gain intel on Ymir tomorrow morning. Follow soldiers around.” Hanji sighs. “Sleep is good. Need sleep for energy…”

Hanji dozes off mid-sentence.

“Jeez. Fine. You guys sleep. I’ll keep watch for a while.” Levi says, tucking Hanji in. He goes back to his original spot and sits up against a wall, crossing his arms.

“Ah, Heichou! No, you need sleep! I’ll do it!” Jean says, putting his hand on his chest.

“It’s okay. Just listen to me.”

“If you’re so sure… Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Goodnight, you all,” Levi says. “be ready when you wake up.”

It wasn’t easy for them to sleep. It was a cold night- the cold wind whistled and a breeze swept through often, causing many to shiver. It was only for a night. The 104th endured worse than this. All of them then get startled from their deep sleep.

“What the hell is that noise?” Eren says. He tries to open his eyes, tired from the sudden jolt. He sees Levi standing by the open wall of the attic, looking at something.

“What’s he doing?” Armin says, getting up. The others do the same.

Eren walks over to where Levi was and stands next to him. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe it. It’s today.”

“What is?”

“The gala. It’s happening.”

“But we heard from the guards that it should be tomorrow!”

Levi points in front of him. “We need to go, immediately!”

Outside was bright. Lamps were lit and lights hung from clothing lines in the district. One region was particularly bright, and people were seen scampering towards a highly concentrated town square, where a particularly large building laid. Next to it was also a large stage that looked like it was used for announcements. The night was still young.

“Wait, but what will we do?” Sasha asks while putting her armour on at the same time. It was safe to question Levi, but only if you follow his directions first. In the Survey Corps, Levi always had unorthodox schemes but they always worked out one way or another. “We still haven’t pinpointed Ymir’s location!”

“Improvise. You’re a master at that, aren’t you? It’ll be fine.”

Once they all were ready to roll, Levi rounds them all up. “Listen. Follow me- don’t ask any questions.”

“But-”

“What did I just say!?”

“My bad.”

They followed Levi. He was leading them towards the crowded gala. What was on his mind now? The final destination was the building directly in front of the gala. It was a very tall and solid clock tower, perhaps ancient. Leaning out of the corners of the clock tower like gargoyles, they scan the scene. Two points of entry, two main areas of assembly. Guards littered about the whole district. If they started a recon, it would be their only chance. Conny turns over to Levi.

“What’s the plan?”

“We all go. We all go to collect clues on the whereabouts of Ymir. If we fail, it’s over.” Levi utters. He was always serious, but this time it was different.

“On three?” Armin asks.

“On three. Then we split.”

“One,”

“Two..."

“...Three!”

The second Levi spat out the word “three”, all 8 of them then darted in different directions.

Eren.

Clinging onto ledges, he shimmies across balconies to follow two patrolling soldiers. The extra weight of the AVM wasn’t helping. He had thought that perhaps they would gossip about Ymir. Instead, he found out something even more incriminating. And it would happen soon.

“Today’s the day.” the taller of the soldiers spoke. He was serious.

“But, I don’t know why it’s so, you know, important. People are saying that it will end the war once and for all.” his partner replied. Her tone was as if she found it bizarre the high-ups treated the speech like their lives depended on it.

“You didn’t hear about it? There was a leak on why. Everyone’s talking about it.”

“Damn, really? Tell me about it.”

Eren raised a brow. What was so important that it overshadowed a titan shifter returning?

“You know Willy?”

“The Tybur? Yeah, he controls half the military.”

“We got intel from an informant in Eldia. That Reiss person… They sent a recon team to get that Jaw titan back.”

“What’s so important about that Jaw titan that the royalty personally sent a team to rescue her?”

“Probably lovers or something.”

“Ah, shit. Did I tell you? Braun and Hoover got caught trying to escape with that prisoner.”

“Where are they now?”

“Dunno. Probably dead by now.”

“Anyways, the government personally asked every single officer to talk about the gala in hopes of that Eldian recon team of overhearing one of them. The plan was that the recon team arrives at the gala to hear Tybur’s speech. His declaration of war. The outcomes that the General is expected is that the rats get caught trying to do something about it.”

“Do you know who is apart of the recon team?”

“The Ackermans, Eren Jaeger, and some others.”

“Damn. Aren’t the Ackermans unstoppable?”

“Yeah. They are a force that we can’t tangle with easily.”

“And Jaeger… the one that has two powers?”

“The one and only.”

“If Jaeger transforms, how will we contain him?”

“We have Willy to fight him. Remember, the Warhammer titan is strong! Pieck and Zeke are ready, too.”

“Ah, we need to get going! The speech is starting soon!”

The patrolmen scurry away, disappearing down the open corridor.

They were right. Declaring war? Eren was going to do something about it. To stop it. He climbs up to the roof, and sits on the edge, facing the stage next to a large building. He saw a well-dressed man walk up to the podium, wearing clothes never seen before by Eren. A white shirt with a collar and a peculiar looking piece of cloth right in between the collar. Over the shirt was a black jacket with strange points lined around the edges of the sides. That outfit was nothing like in Eldia, but regardless, looked good. He had shoulder length blonde hair, and had a beard. He was also well built, and was accompanied by two guards, standing at each of his sides. Once the man settled down on the podium, he grabs the edges of the podium, clears his throat, and gives a million-dollar smile. The crowd around the stage was already silent, as his presence alone was astonishing. How could one man appear so powerful?

“I appreciate every one of those who have come tonight. From other continents, to locals here, in Marley. I have a pressing issue that I must announce. It is imperative that as many people possible must know. I, Willy Tybur, with the full support of Marley, declare a war against Eldia- or Paradis Island. Our rivalry can be traced back hundreds, even thousands of years ago. While other continents have neutral relationships with the two large kingdoms, now, you must choose. This will be essentially a world war...” Willy trails off, turning his head. His eyes eventually meets Eren’s, but only for a moment. He turns back to the audience with a sinister smile. “This will be the war that ends all. After the gala tonight, Marley will engage in combat with Eldia as soon as possible, with or without the support with the other continents.” WIlly’s speech goes on for a few more minutes, with him glancing slightly occasionally at a woman sitting in the front diagonal from him. When his speech ended, the audience clapped. The guards turned away from Willy and left. Eren took this opportunity and jumped down to Willy. Mid-air, Eren bites his hand, drawing blood. Steam enveloped his rapidly growing form. Willy looked up at Eren and smirked. Laughing before Eren hit him, his last words were barely finished. “My job is done.”

Once Eren hit the stage, the impact shook the whole district. He grabbed Willy’s body and continued to consume it, trying to steal the Warhammer titan. Looking around to think about his next course of action, he then glanced down. The woman Willy was looking at before was now standing, and holding a knife to her hand.

“Wait, Willy wasn’t the-!?” Eren thought. His thought was abruptly stopped when the woman transformed into a titan just like him. Erupting from the ground, she had left a massive crater, as if she used the ground to materialise into a titan. It was chaos. People fearing for their life stumbling about, sprinting for safety. There were many lifeless bodies sprawled out everywhere. Adults, elderly, children all alike. Eren puts up his hands, ready to brawl. That titan… it wasn’t like the others. It stood out more than the beast titan or even the colossal titan. It was plain. The skin was solid, not showing exposed muscle. In fact, it’s whole body was covered in what looks to be hardened titan flesh!? Not only that; the titan had looked like it was wearing a mask… Bars covering the mouth, eyes, and neck.

“Eren!!” Mikasa shouts, entering the perimeter. Following her were Conny, Sasha, Jean, Hanji, and Levi. Marleyan soldiers tried to fight them off, failing miserably. It was a war zone, with bullets flying everywhere.

He turns to look, and gives a small nod to let them know that he knew they were there.

“...Jaeger. I was expecting you,” the Warhammer titan gasped. "It would be wise to keep your eyes on me." It was hard to speak as a titan, especially for Eren but some were better than others at being explicit. Ymir and the Beast titan are prominent examples. It seems that this titan was able to talk clearly also. Eren turns back to face the titan. Unable to respond without being strained, he lets out a mighty roar instead to answer. Starting up a barrage of punches onto the Warhammer titan, Eren speeds up every thrown fist. His teammates, on the other hand, were busy fighting off the Marley government. But… it seems that the assault on the titan wasn’t working!?  Stopping to change his attack tactic, the Warhammer titan takes that split second to turn things around. It kicks Eren, throwing him meters away. Before he lands, the titan slams its hands on the floor. A large pillar then emerges from the floor, impaling Eren and suspending him up high in the air. Turning every head in the vicinity, the titan staggers over to Eren. A long and enormous sledgehammer is fabricating from the structures around the titan's hand, taking in materials to merge with hardened titan skin to form the final product. 

“...Your efforts were in vain. Even if you are the coordinate and attack titan, you still will fall to me. I am the absolute.” she says, lifting the hammer high over her head. "Tonight will be the last day you will experience."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter i have ever written lol


	9. Chapter 6: The Clash of the Shifters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt escape the facility, they see Eren catching hands from an unknown intelligent titan. They assume the Survey Corps are also fighting, and go to form their own plan to aide the invaders. However, Eren's situation gets worse every second that passes. Can his friends save him in time before he becomes nothing but dust?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own AOT.

A deafening alarm blasts throughout the compound and floodlights run past every corner, scanning the vicinity. Were they for the escapees, or to alert soldiers of the impending battle of the titans? Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt cover their ears to ease the loud noise while running to a secluded area. Dodging the frantic lights to avoid being caught, they weave from cover to cover and soldiers running to battle. Reiner led the other two, seemingly already calculated a spot to go into hiding. The group eventually settles down in a storage unit behind the prison they were put in. Sitting down to rest and think about their next course of action, they could hear the chaos outside. The unit was damp and very crude. There were boxes scattered on the floor to sit on.

“That was them, no doubt,” Ymir says, leaning against the battered wall. She crosses her legs. “What should we do? Our powers are gone, temporarily. Hopefully.”

"We need to help them, of course!" Reiner says.

"How? We can't even shift and we don't have any weapons..." Bertolt stammers.

"Are you blind? Look where we are, Bertolt! All around us are just weapons!" Ymir stands up, grabbing a nearby rifle that was leaning against the wall. Next to it were more rifles, along with some Marleyan army garments.

"Oh, shit! I didn't notice them, either!" Reiner shouts. He is clearly surprised. He grabs a coat, vest, and helmet and puts them on. The two follow suit.

Before leaving, they all grab rifles and ammo belts.

"We need to move quickly," Reiner says.

"You don't need to say that twice," Ymir replies.

They run out of the compound without any trouble, as their new attire allowed them to fit in with everyone else around them. There were other soldiers running towards the chaos along with the trio. The two titans fighting made the ground shake furiously, making it hard to stay balanced. It was vicious, with them trading blows equally. Eren would throw a hard elbow to the other titan, and in return, he would get a knee to the face. Say, what, and who  _was_  that unknown titan? Pacing steps and breaths, they keep their speed and stamina consistent.

"Do you guys know who that titan was?" Ymir says.

"...It's Willy. Willy Tybur. Remember that blonde guy from the meeting when we first reunited?" Reiner muttered. Did he have something against Willy?

"What kind of titan is that? I've never heard of it..."

"He is in control of the Warhammer titan. Its powers are said to be equal to the attack and coordinate titan in terms of combat. I've never seen it in action, though. No one has, really. There's a big rumour going around that he doesn't even have a titan, but I guess it was true after all." Bertolt cuts in.

"We're halfway there!" Ymir says. "Come on, let's go faster!"

"On it!" Reiner and Bertolt responding, nodding. The three then break into a full sprint. As they move, the environment around them become a blur. Barely able to turn corners without crashing into buildings and tripping, they still are able to manage. Not to mention the constant earthquakes the two fighting titans are creating. They pass by guards, and even civilians trying to escape the district for their safety. The longer the fight went on, however, the more violent the rumbles become. Run down buildings slowly begin to crumble and debris are flying out from where the titans were. Once Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt reach the stage weapons ready, all they found was chaos. Mikasa, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Hanji, and Levi were all seen fighting off Marleyan soldiers. Sasha was taking scarily accurate shots with a rifle quickly. Connie was covering her back, taking down anyone from behind them. Jean and Mikasa were on the rooftops, fighting off soldiers coming in aerial. Hanji and Levi were a tag team duo, clearing out waves of soldiers faster than you could blink. Amazed by their efficiency, it didn't take too long for the new arrivals to join in. Ymir starts by shooting a soldier sneaking up to Sasha who was also in Connie's blind spot. Sasha looks over to the guard that fell down next to her, and to where she heard to shot come from. Her eyes widen in shock, and her mouth gapes open.

"Y-Ymir!?" she shouts. It was loud enough that it caught the others' attention. Everyone looks over to where Ymir, Reiner, and Bertolt was, and also becomes shocked. They resume their combat quickly, however, as there was no time to talk. The three split up; Ymir joined Sasha and Connie, Reiner joined Hanji and Levi, and Bertolt joined in with Jean and Mikasa with their battles.

Sasha starts to talk to Ymir once she arrives at her side, all while still shooting enemies. "Ymir! We're here for you!"

"I know. But how are we going to leave now?"

"We have no choice but to fight it out! Once Eren wins his fight we'll be able to escape!" Connie butts in, turning around for a second.

"You guys are crazy! There are thousands of them against us!" Ymir says. "We can't continue to fight them off for long alone!"

"I know! Man, at least be thankful we're here to bust you out!"

"I am!"

"Wait just a minute, aren't Reiner and Bertolt working for the Marley? Why were they with you?"

"They were the ones that helped me escape."

"But they brought you here in the first place!"

"I know. But we'll talk it out once we're free. Reiner and Bertolt are on our side. For now."

 The incoming soldiers seem to never stop, and as Eren prolongs the fight, it's as if he is slowly beginning to lose the upper hand. He continues his assault, but it doesn't seem to faze the other titan. What struck odd to Ymir was that the mysterious titan was holding a large sledgehammer. They used it to block shots and even to counterstrike back. The blows Eren has taken are taking a toll on his ability to keep fighting as his strikes become slower and slower. Then, the Warhammer titan kicked Eren back to create distance and did a large sweeping motion upwards with their right arm as Eren fell back, prompting a large spike to protrude quickly from the ground and impale Eren. His whole body is suspended up in the air, with the pike in the middle of his torso. Eren let out a blood curdling scream; it shook the whole area. The other titan crept closer and closer to Eren wearing an ominous grin. No one could help Eren. They were all engaged in combat. If one left it could potentially endanger an ally. That risk wasn’t going to be taken. Once the Warhammer titan was just a few feet away from Eren, they spoke.

“...Your efforts were in vain. Even if you are the coordinate and attack titan, you still will fall to me. I am the absolute.” they say, lifting the hammer high over their head to land a finishing blow. "Tonight will be the last one you will experience."

...

Just outside the walls of Marley, the Survey Corps with the addition of Historia and Annie are discussing their game plan. With no knowledge of what was currently going down, they assume a stealth operation.

”When I give the alarm, you all attack, is that clear? No moves until I say so.”

”What makes you the-“

”Shh! She’ll kill you!”

”...”

”Annie... are you sure? What if you get hurt?” Historia says. “We didn’t gather this many people just for you to do a solo mission!”

”Yeah, and its also a risk to be moving around with such a large group of people! Just listen to me, and we’ll be set. Remember. Stay behind me at all times!”

”Well... okay...”

However, what they expected was of course not there. It was chaos, really. People screaming, battle cries rang throughout the region, and roars that shook the earth. The group rushed to the source as swiftly as they could. As promised, Annie came first to the battle field and the others waited right behind her. What caught her eye first was Eren being held up in the air by the rumoured Warhammer titan.

”...Tch...” Annie clicked her tongue, and jumped straight into the skirmish.

...

The titan slams down their hammer with all of their might, bearing the intention of killing Eren. Just before the hammer was about to make contact with Eren, a flash cut through the air. A moment later, both of the Warhammer titan’s hands fall straight to the ground along with the weapon. Before anyone could react, a second flash occurred and the legs from the knee down of the same titan unattached to the rest of the body, being cut by an unknown force. This caused the Warhammer titan to drop on to the floor in a state of shock. Annie suddenly appeared and lands on top of Eren’s face. 

“...You’re pathetic. To think that I considered you decent was clearly a mistake.” she grumbled, giving a face of disdain to Eren. “That titan is nothing and you had an upper hand.”

Eren grunted in reply.

Annie then looked around, scanning the faces for something, or somebodies. It’s clear that she found them after a minute as she loosens up. Putting two fingers in her mouth, Annie then blows a loud whistle. In response to the whistle, dozens of Survey Corps members jump out from what seems nowhere, and ambush Marleyan soldiers. Annie hops down to where the Warhammer titan was. Luckily, it landed face first so the nape was exposed. She cuts a large portion out, revealing a young woman embedded in a crystal, similar to what she was in herself for years. However, that woman was awake. And staring right into Annie’s eyes.

”...You...!” Annie says, upset. “I- No. This...” she becomes dumbfounded, speaking in fragments. “Jeager!!” she shouts. “Get up! Now!”

Eren grunts, and struggles to stabilize himself. It was painful and he was already exhausted from the brawl. Little by little, however, he begins to stand up. Pulling himself off of the pike, he staggers around.

”Take that hammer. Break this crystal!”

Confused by Annie’s eagerness to free that woman, Eren takes the hammer. He starts smashing down on the crystal with what little energy he had. The more he struck it, the more cracks appeared. With one final blow, it cracks open, and steam emerged along with the woman. Annie grabs her by the collar, and whispered a few things into her ear, and threw her on the floor.

”Eat her. You’ll get her powers.” Annie demanded. She takes one last look at the woman, and walks off.

That, he did. He took a few minutes to test out his newfound powers. But they were not for the next fight. It was too risky. He reverted back to his human form, and grabbed a sword. After that whole ordeal, both of them joined the rest of the Eldians. The fighting seemed to get easier, but then two more titans joined the fray. They both knew it was too late, but it was worth a try. The Beast titan threw large projectiles blindly, hoping to eliminate more Eldians than Marleyans, but with their AVMs, it wasn’t a problem dodging from side to side. Levi personally dealt with Zeke one more time by mortally wounding him, just like last time. His attacks were more ruthless and powerful. Levi seemed to have a lot of built up anger for him. Zeke was taken away to safety by the cart titan.

Eventually, with the help of additional Survey Corps members, less and less soldiers are fighting. Then, alas, no more were found. It was a bloodbath, but necessary. For the peace. For the next generations to come. Hundreds of lives were taken that day. The Eldians rendevoused on the outskirts of Marley. Doing a small celebration of their victory, everyone hugged and cheered. The injured were being treated and the deceased comrades were carefully taken to be buried in Eldia. It was one of the many victories that was needed to end the war. But Ymir wasn’t focused on celebrating. She was focused on finding someone. Historia. Looking around frantically wasn’t the solution. That girl was too small! Especially in the crowd of soldiers! A tap instantly got her attention. It was Bertolt. Slightly disappointed, Ymir asked what he wanted. He gave a small smile and pointed to a direction. Thank god for his height! Ymir quickly ran to where he pointed, not before thanking him many times, and lo and behold, Historia was there. She was sitting alone quietly, looking down. Relieved to see her one more time, Ymir couldn’t help but have a big smile plastered on her face. Approaching the blonde, she puts her hand on her hip.

”How you doin’, girl?”

Instantly recognizing that voice, Historia jolts up. Tears of joy streamed down her face.

”Ymir!”

...

Next chapter preview. 

Chapter 7: Reunion, then Tragedy

”Ymir!” Historia shouts, immediately jumps into Ymir’s arms. “I haven’t seen you in so long!”

”Woah! Excited to see ol’ Ymir again?”

”I hate you so much!”

”I know you do.” Ymir murmurs, and holds Historia closer. “But I love you.”

”You idiot...”

...

”Wake up! There’s an ambush!” Hanji banged on the door. “We need to defend Wall Rose, now!”

...

”Didn’t we take out almost half their man power!?” Jean groans. “Why are they still going at us so hard!?”

”Seems like nothing will stop them!” Hanji laughs. Perhaps this wasn’t the time to be joking, but whatever floats their boat, I guess.

...

”No...! Don’t do this! We can’t lose you!” Connie shouts, shaking her body.

”I’m kinda tired, though. Maybe just a nap.”

”A nap!? You close your eyes, and you’re a goner!”

”Worth it.”

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's summer vacation for me, so you know what's up! More chapters! Do you guys like the idea of chapter previews? Let me know because I’m not sure if you guys want to be surprised or you want a quick peek into the next chapter!


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